Mutiny
by Tawnyeyes
Summary: This is the sequel to Oh Honeymoon. Bella is now a vampire and enjoys her new life with the Cullen family. A group of vampires are tired of following the rules set by the Volturi. The Cullens are forced to decide which side they are on.
1. Anniversary

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

(The entire story will be from Bella's POV)

I was looking forward to spring. Even here in the Northern Territories, spring meant new leaves, flowers, and warmer weather. We went to visit Charlie over the Christmas break again. It was our second Christmas with him. At least this time, he wasn't in the hospital. Charlie had to work everyday, but he came and spent Christmas Day with us at Carlisle's home. He was very impressed with Alice's fervor for decorating. He had never seen a Christmas tree that tall, or so many lights on a house. She never ceased to amaze him, or me. I was so happy to be with everyone I love. It was good to see Charlie feeling more and more comfortable around the Cullens. I think he's actually starting to enjoy their company.

Emmett is a constant source of laughter. At first sight, he appears intimidating, but when you get to know him, he's like a... teddy bear. I guess that kind of explains his diet preference. Rosalie is still more reserved than anything, but she smiles more and we've gone shopping a few times together. Jasper is opening up. He's more playful around me now. He's always looking for something to tease me about. Alice is my best friend, next to Edward of course. Edward... my sun, my moon, and all the stars put together. He has been by my side constantly, except when I run off with Alice. He has helped me hone my vampire skills. We go running, swimming, hiking, driving, and of course, hunting together.

Hunting has become almost common place for me in the last year. I guess there has been a stronger sense of thirst, but I've been able to quench it with animals. I remember my first anniversary because it's the day Jasper bought Emmett a brand new Jeep. Jasper had bet that my casualties rate would be rather high. I was proud to say it was nil. Thanks to my being an oddity as a vampire, and a human, for that matter. Edward is often thinking about how incredible it is that my life as a vampire seems so... easy. Well, that's not the word he uses, but he is constantly amazed at how well I've adapted, and accepted this . I have a theory about that: I was meant to be a part of his world. Like a bee to honey, like the earth orbits the sun, we were irrefutably drawn to each other. All my thoughts and desires are for him to be happy. And he feels exactly the same way. I suppose that's what makes it work. When giving one hundred percent, you receive the same in return.

Edward felt that we should maintain our secluded lifestyle for the first year, just in case. Of course, he couldn't argue with Alice and I when we would see a vision of a safe shopping trip. Those trips were growing in frequency, to his dismay. I always tried to make it worth his while, but it still made him sad when I was away from him. It made me sad too, but it made returning to him even more exciting. In fact, a routine has developed as our little shopping trips have become more regular. As soon as we return, Alice and Jasper leave the house to go hunting or to find their own private foxhole. Poor Jasper, the emotions that explode when Edward and I see each other after shopping with Alice drive him crazy. He's so sensitive. I'm actually glad he leaves, because when he stays in the house, everything I'm feeling gets magnified. It gets overwhelming sometimes. I can understand what he's going through.

Jasper and I have been working on the gift we share when he's around. We sometimes play little games with his power. We started placing bets on who can influence the others more. To make it interesting, we don't tell each other which feeling we're going to try to stir, we simply determine the prize. Then we unleash the feelings on the unsuspecting victim, and see who wins. Unfortunately, Emmett and Rosalie tend to be the victims most of the time. It never works on Alice. She sees it coming. It doesn't work on Edward either, he knows what we're thinking. Esme is just too sweet to play _those_ kind of games on. Carlisle, well, he's the father figure, and we both don't want to mess with that. Okay, so I guess we almost always play the games on Emmett and Rosalie. At first, we tried to keep it subtle enough that they didn't even realize what was happening. But they've caught on and let us have it when they find out. Like the other day, we focused our attention on Emmett. He was standing next to his Jeep watching Rosalie work on it. We started to focus our attention on Emmett. I didn't know which feeling Jasper was going to use, but I used one of my favorites. As we watched, Emmett reached over and started moving his hand up Rosalie's leg. In a flash, he was on the ground, and the wrench that was in Rosalie's hand was flying in our direction. I grinned. Jasper was disappointed.

"I should have gone with lust" he said shaking his head. "Good one!"

"Enjoy washing my car, Jasper" I said as I skipped off to tell Edward the good news. I'm so glad Jasper has warmed up to me. He was so distant when I was still human. He still didn't trust himself. Although, I'll never forget some of the things he said to me. I was so skeptical about _how_ Edward felt about me, and _why_ he felt those things. Jasper gave me a spark of hope when he told me I was wrong, that I was worth it. A simple phrase from the one member of the family who almost attacked me on my seventeenth birthday. It has stuck with me. I'm glad we're friends now. All it took was for me to lose my life, which I freely gave.

"There you are. What have you been up to?" Edward asked while looking through some papers. In the blink of an eye he was next to me, his arms wrapped around me. I lay my head against his shoulder and told him about our latest prank. He laughed heartily then said, "If you ever want Rosalie to take you seriously, you'd better leave her out of your games."

"I know, it's just so much fun. I see why Emmett and Jasper have such a good time betting on things. It's addictive and fun, well, when you win." I let go of Edward to walk towards the desk where he had been reading. I picked up a brochure that was all about Dartmouth. I smiled, thinking about how excited Charlie was when I mentioned that we might transfer to Dartmouth. Edward came over and put one hand on my shoulder.

"So, are you ready to go to college?" his voice became serious. "I think you're ready. Both for school, and to be around... people again." He waited patiently as I considered what he was saying.

"Who will be going?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't read too much into my question. His face changed to show he didn't understand.

"Who do you _think_ will be going?" he wondered.

I spoke quickly. "It just that, I've come to really love being around your whole family. I mean, you know if it's just you and me, of course I'd be happy, I just... was wondering... if Alice?" I saw his face relax. Then he started to grin.

"If I didn't know any better... I'd be jealous of my own sister." he pulled me into a tight embrace. His face became serious again. "Maybe we need to go somewhere to be alone so I can remind you of why you love me... best!" For a split second I was afraid he meant it.

"Edward, you know you are... my everything. All I need is you. You know that." I was part pleading, part waiting for him break his facade. His face looked serious for a few seconds, then his grin took over his mouth, and his eyes twinkled, and I relaxed knowing he was playing. I felt my body sink into his arms as I relaxed.

"Of course they're coming, they can't stand to be away from you!" he said beaming. If I could blush, I would have. Edward placed his hand on my cheek, thinking the same thing.

"Do you miss that about me?" I wondered.

His eyes looked distant for a second, then they almost glazed over as he said, "a little, but there are so many other things I've learned to appreciate about you." His mouth covered mine, and his hands pulled me tight to him. He could still manage to make my mind hazy.

"Okay, you win. Let's go somewhere alone before we go off to college." I was feeling drunk with his love.

"Nice try, Bella. I wouldn't want to take you away from everyone who adores you" he was teasing me.

I wanted to test something, see if it still worked. I looked down at the ground and looked sad. Then I said in my saddest, most pitiful voice, "_Please_ Edward? Can we _please _go somewhere alone so I can spend time only with you?" He audibly inhaled, then slowly exhaled. 

"Playing games with me now, are you?" he answered with tortured voice. He lifted my face to look at his, then bent within a centimeter of my lips and whispered "as you wish" before he planted his lips solidly against mine.


	2. Alone Time

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Alice stood at the top of the stairs watching us leave. She looked sad. Next to her, stood a very happy Jasper. He was glad to have a reprieve from all the "love in the air." Edward and I were going off on our own for a few days. I was really excited. I was hoping we could revisit some of our favorite spots before we headed east for school. I didn't want to quite think about the move just yet. It would take us so far from Charlie. Also, we would see less of Carlisle and Esme. No, I didn't want to think about that yet. I was determined to focus all my attention on Edward this weekend. I looked over at him. He seemed so content driving, holding my hand, and knowing we were all alone again. Almost a second honeymoon, although, the first one never really ended. All the passion and desire was still strong. But along with that, there was a deeper trust that grew with each act of love. My still heart sometimes ached with a pain that I believed came from being stretched to accommodate more love. When I thought I could feel no greater love, Edward found a way to be more. I liked this kind of pain.

I peeked into Edward's mind to see where we were headed. I squealed with delight when I saw his plans. First, back through the mountain pass to the waterfall. I hoped it would be sunny. I wanted Edward to see into my mind and know without a doubt how I felt about him. Next, a beautiful B&B sitting high above Bear Lake, the largest lake entirely within Canada. Edward knew how much I enjoyed swimming. It was relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. We found all kinds of things we could do in the water. It was even more fun when the sun was out. We were careful to make sure no one was around. All sensations were heightened when the sun was shining. It was glorious.

"So Bella, are you just going to sit there grinning, or are you going to share what's on your mind?" he asked, his eyes smiling. I still liked that I could be mysterious because of Edward's inability to read my mind.

"I like your plans. You know where I like to go, and what I like to do." I raised my eyebrows a few times as I spoke. He burst out laughing.

"Did you have any idea you'd be like this before you became... like... me?" I was a little puzzled by his question. I liked puzzles, so I didn't bother to just see what he meant in his head.

"Like what, Edward? Are you referring to my insatiable desire for _you_ or my love of swimming?" I moved closer to him and started twirling his hair in my fingers. He just rolled his eyes. I continued "I guess it's all the pent up frustration from all those nights you lay beside me, and you exercised perfect control."

"I didn't _always_ maintain perfect control" he added. "You have no idea what I wanted to do. It's probably a good thing I was so concerned about your fragile body."

I looked at him suspiciously then said "I was under the impression that it was your _virtue_ that kept you so 'straight and narrow'." I tried not to make it sound like a bad thing because I really did appreciate it. I liked feeling respected.

"Actually," he interrupted "it was _your_ virtue that I was thinking about at the time." I sighed. That's right. I remembered now. He was trying to save my soul. Unlike Edward, I wasn't convinced that becoming like him, a vampire, would damn my soul. His soul, and I believed he had one, belonged in the highest heaven. I only hoped I could get there with him. Our family, we all belonged there.

I lay my head on his shoulder. "I'm glad we're married" I said more to myself than to him.

"Me too." He started to hum a beautiful melody. I pictured a choir of angels singing the same tune. He had so many gifts. I hoped I would find some too. Or maybe they are learned? I was curious.

"Edward, do you think it's easier to learn, I mean, as a vampire? All the things you know, and do, did they come easily to you or did you have to work for it?" I was really interested in knowing the answer to that. I could see Edward was thinking.

"Bella. You know we each have special gifts. Those things come easy to us. There are also lots of other things we can learn to do well. I think, as a vampire, we have the benefit of a long memory. We also have the advantage of all the time in the world. Put those together, and you can learn just about anything and practice enough to become good at it." He explained that so well, I actually understood and accepted it.

"Take for instance, my music. I think I have a talent for creating music. I can see and hear it in my mind, however, I had to learn how to play the piano in order to bring that music to life. I practiced piano for years and years. Esme was very patient with me through those years. Now, I can express through my fingers, what my mind sees." I listened in awe as he humbly expressed that concept.

It was becoming clearer to me. When we go to school, we will have the advantages of heightened senses. I knew that multi-sensory learning was very effective. Imagine using all your senses, processing things at a faster rate, and remembering all of it. I saw now how Edward was so great at everything he did. I was looking forward to going to college even more now. I still wasn't sure what I wanted to learn... first. I was hoping Edward and I could just take the same classes. Although, he'd probably be bored. I didn't realize that as I started to think about this aspect of school, my face started to frown. Edward saw it.

"Bella? Come back to me. Where did you go?" he asked while trying to hide his concern.

"I was just thinking about... college, and what classes you would be taking, and which ones I would take." I figured I'd be honest.

He looked hurt. "Won't we be taking the same classes? Don't you want me with you?"

"Of course," I tried to sound reassuring "but I'm just starting and you, you have a few degrees already. I wouldn't want you to get bored." I couldn't hide my disappointment if I tried. He looked pensive.

"Don't forget that I always want to be with you. But let's not think about college yet, let's enjoy this weekend together, just me and you." He reached over and ruffled my hair. The car was coming to a stop and it surprised me. I looked around to see we were at the dead end that led to the beautiful waterfall. I looked up into the sky to see the clouds were clearing. I sighed and could barely contain the anticipation of spending the day with Edward. It was going to be another memorable day.


	3. Strangers

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Edward and I sat facing each other, our legs crossed, gazing into each other's eyes. Both of our hands were grasped together in front of us. We had a lot to say in the silence. I thought about the last year so that Edward could see how I interpreted all these new experiences. He was not judging me, simply listening and accepting my way of thinking. I watched his reactions through his eyes as different memories came to my mind. Some made them twinkle a little more, and others cast a shadow over his bright, honey-colored eyes. I didn't hide anything from him. I completely trusted him with my life, hopes, and dreams. When my thoughts arrived at the present moment, I smiled my most dazzling smile. To my surprise, he let his head bow. When he raised his face to look at me again, he looked so angelic, I was frozen with adoration. He brought one of my hands towards his chest and placed it over his silent heart. He thought _"can you feel it? Can you feel my heart growing? Because that's what I feel right now. I didn't think it was possible for me to feel any more... than I do. You never cease to amaze me." _I leaned forward and lay my head on his shoulder. We sat there like this until the sun went down.

We walked, hand in hand, back to the car. We didn't run, because we didn't want to rush from this dreamy, wonderful day. Back in the car, Edward put in a CD. I smiled as the music started. It was the music that was playing the first time I ever rode in his car: Clair de Lune. It was the perfect accompaniment to what I was feeling. I could hardly wait to arrive at the Bed & Breakfast so we could express our love with more than words. I felt the car pick up speed. Edward was thinking the same thing I was.

As we made our way out from the mountain pass, the joy we were feeling was suddenly sucked out of the car like a vacuum as the peace was broken by the phone ring. I stared at Edward thinking that this could not possibly be good. I was flooded with the memory of the last time the phone rang as we came out of the pass. It was the call telling us that Charlie was injured in an accident. I was afraid to answer it. Edward tried to give me a reassuring smile as he answered the phone. His face relaxed as soon as he heard the voice on the other end of the line.

"Oh, hi Charlie! Yeah, we're doing great. Yes, she is here. One moment." Edward handed me the phone, now smiling brightly. I took the phone and tried to shake the anxiety that still lingered.

"Hi dad! How are you? Are you alright?" I had to make sure before I continued. He reassured me that he was fine. He asked me a few questions about when we were leaving for school, when we'd be back to visit, and how Alice was doing. Then he paused for several moments, the anxiety sweeping back over me as he did.

"Bella, someone wants to talk to you. I'm not sure how you'll feel about this, but he has been very persistent that he talk to you. It's Jacob." Charlie was waiting for my reply. I was stunned. I couldn't imagine any good reason why Jacob would want to talk to me. I looked at Edward confounded. I could see Edward getting anxious to know what was causing me to react this way.

"One second dad," I was looking at Edward, worried about what his reaction would be. I whispered "It's Jacob. He wants to talk to me." I watched as Edward's face and fists seemed to tighten. Then his face relaxed and he nodded. I heard him think _"he must have a good reason." _Charlie was still waiting on the line. "Okay dad. I'll talk to him. I love you, too. Bye." I could hear Jacob thanking Charlie then telling him he'd be right outside. He wanted privacy. This couldn't be good.

"Hi Bells!" I couldn't help but smile hearing his familiar, warm voice. I was surprised by his next question "So, what have you done now?" His voice was sort of joking, but I could tell he was serious, too.

"What do you mean, 'what have I done now'?" I was really confused.

"It's just that we have come across some tracks that are unfamiliar to us. We are all on alert. It surprised us because we haven't really had cause to change for a little while. We were out fooling around when we picked up the scent, and we were wondering if you know anything about these strangers coming around here?" He was speaking for the pack. I turned to Edward and quickly explained what Jacob just told me. Edward held out his hand for the phone.

"Jacob, please explain to Edward" I said before I handed Edward the phone.

"Hi Jacob. How many are there?" Edward's tone was serious.

"We've only found two, so far. They haven't attacked anyone, so we were wondering if they were maybe friends of yours."

"Carlisle hasn't mentioned anyone coming to the area. I'm not certain, though. I will call him to confirm and let him know. Will you let us know if anything does happen?" Edward managed to keep his tone friendly.

"Yes. Can you think of any reason why strange vampires would come here, now? Did Bella step on any toes in your bloodsucker world?" Edward's face tightened again with anger at Jacob's insinuation.

"Jacob, thank you for calling. We will call you if we find out anything. We would appreciate it if you would do the same. Good bye." He hung up the phone and stared ahead with steely eyes. I was listening to the conversation through his mind, but I couldn't tell if Edward was more upset about Jacob using the word bloodsucker, or that he thought I was the cause of this new problem.

Edward quickly dialed Carlisle. He told him what Jacob had said, and asked if he knew anything about it. Carlisle had no idea, but he would be looking out now. Edward then called Alice. "Alice, have you seen anything today?"

Alice paused to think. "No. Why?" Edward was debating about whether or not this was a big deal . The strangers could have been just that, strangers passing through. He couldn't think of any reason why we, or particularly me, would have to worry about it, yet.

He decided not to tell Alice. "Nothing. You know where we'll be. Call us if anything interesting comes up. Thanks Alice." I sat there speechless. I couldn't believe how quickly the mood of the day changed. I closed my eyes hoping when I opened them, this would have all been a bad dream. I felt Edward's hand on my neck. I rested my head against his arm. I wanted to trust his feelings and not worry about it until we had reason to. But I was having trouble shaking the feeling that I was _still_ the danger magnet I always was. I was more resilient now, but I had more to lose. After several minutes, I opened my eyes and looked at him. He was waiting patiently, as usual. It was so dark outside. I was wishing the sun would break through the gloomy night and open up our minds to each other so we would be in tune again.

"I love you, Bella. I won't ever let _anything_ happen to you. Please don't worry. Not yet. We still have each other." His melodic voice seemed to push the worry out of my mind. I smiled at him, my smile reaching my eyes this time. Yes, we still had each other. I wanted to forget what just happened and get back to where we left off.

"So, do you feel like a swim after we check in?" I really did enjoy swimming with him. I think that would really help me relax. I felt the car pick up speed as we hurried to the next phase of our weekend alone.


	4. Log Cabin

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Edward and I swam most of the night. The lake is so big we enjoyed exploring every inch of it. I didn't spend a lot of time in the water growing up, so maybe I was making up for it now. Or maybe it was how the water made contact with every surface of my skin, stimulating all my senses at the same time. I enjoyed the weightlessness, and the way everything gently swayed in the current. I loved to watch Edward's hair undulate in this liquid medium as he floated facing me. But most of all, I liked when Edward would kiss and hold me beneath the water. I felt like we were in another world altogether.

The moon was shining brightly through the night. It's light glistened off Edward's back as he walked out of the water. He was a stunning sight to behold. Adonis, in all his glory, did not compare to my Edward. I rushed up behind him and wrapped my arms around his body, my hands caressing his chest. He placed his hands over mine and stood still. I squeezed, wishing I could attach myself to him, forever. When I finally released my grip, Edward turned to face me. He was smiling, but his eyes were distant. I was tempted to just find out what was on his mind, but than decided I'd wait until he was ready to share it. "Let's go back to our room" he said quietly. We dressed quickly, then walked together up the embankment.

The Bed & Breakfast was very rustic looking. It looked like an over-sized, multi-level, log cabin. When we had checked in, we both had to laugh at the lobby décor. Emmett would have liked this place. There were heads of several types of animals mounted to the walls. Next to the main desk was a life-sized stuffed Grizzly bear. I licked my lips, and Edward laughed harder. We were both thinking we would enjoy hunting around here. I joked with Edward that maybe I'd study to become a Taxidermist. It would be killing two birds with one stone. I'm glad he could appreciate my bizarre sense of humor.

Our bedroom was really cozy. We had our own log fireplace, complete with a S'mores kit included in the Guest Snack Gift Set. Too bad we didn't have an appetite for _that_. The bed frame and chairs in the room looked like random pieces of logs and branches nailed together. At least the bed was comfortable. The finishing touch to the room was the huge buffalo skin area rug in front of the fireplace. After swimming all night, we just lay on the bed thinking. Edward surprised me when he blurted out "Would you like to visit your mom before we go to New Hampshire?"

Renee. We've spoken on the phone a few times since the wedding, but luckily, she has been so busy with Phil that I didn't feel guilty for not talking to her more often. I tried to make myself believe that sending somewhat regular e-mails would compensate for not visiting her. I was worried when I was going to see Charlie for the first time since my transformation. That was _nothing_ compared to my fear of facing Renee. She was very perceptive when it came to Edward and I. I don't think I could get away with it the way I did with Charlie. I still remember her comments to me when Edward and I went to visit her a couple years ago. Even then, she saw his overly protective stance, and my unconscious movements to be next to him.

I thought of her at our wedding reception. She was not thrilled with the idea of me getting married. I knew she would not be. However, she accepted it, because she saw how determined I was to go through with it. I believe she could see our commitment to each other, so she relaxed a little. I would catch her watching us. She was trying hard to be a gracious "mother of the bride", but her face told me that she was worried about something. Maybe she knew our marriage was a stepping stone to something else. I don't think she would have ever guessed what it was, but there was more to it than we were letting on. I tried in every e-mail to reassure her that I was happy. I was. Beyond my dreams.

I felt Edward roll onto his side to look at me. "So? Are you ready to visit Renee?" I still wasn't sure. But I was curious as to why Edward was pushing the issue right now. I rolled onto my side to face him.

"Why now?" I tried to sound as calm as I could.

"Why not? Don't you think she'll be offended if we move to her side of the country and don't stop in to visit her?" I could tell he was telling me exactly what he was thinking. Why was I being suspicious? I rolled back onto my back and closed my eyes. I felt Edward's finger tracing around my eyes. Then his fingers were massaging my forehead and temples. It felt so good.

"I'm afraid" I whispered. "I'm afraid she'll know and not understand. I'm afraid she won't know, and still not understand. I'm afraid I'm going to want to explain it all to her, so she will understand, but that will put her in greater danger. She won't rest until she can make sense of the changes she sees in me." This is what I was worried about. Renee and I were always honest and open with each other. This secret could tear us apart. Edward's fingers continued to massage my head as I struggled to make a decision.

"We don't need to, not yet at least. We should at some point, however. You need her as much as she has needed you. I don't want _this_ to take her away from you too." By _this_, he meant my choosing to become a vampire. I realized what he was doing. He wanted me to have as much of a normal life as I could. We had several years to pretend to be normal. But then, people might start to wonder about our incredible youth. At some point, we would have to break away from all things familiar to me. I knew that would happen someday, I just didn't want to think about it yet.

"How about we spend next Christmas with her? This will give me some time to prepare myself." I was grasping for something to give me time. Edward stopped rubbing my head.

"Bella, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I just..." he trailed off.

"I know, Edward. You want me to be happy. That's all you ever think about. That's why I love you so." I rolled over on top of him and lay my head across his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and started to hum again, this time, my lullaby. I closed my eyes, inhaled slowly, and allowed his scent to envelope my mind.


	5. College Bound

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

College Bound

I am so glad Edward and I got to spend this time away, together. We were able to reconnect. After our conversation about visiting Renee, we decided we wouldn't think about anyone else until we arrived back at the house. Every moment we thought only of each other. Time stood still and our surroundings blurred as our sole focus was on each other. We studied every detail of our bodies, asked and answered every question we could think of. Our thoughts became one, even with the absence of the sun. The space around us was our universe. He was the sun, I was the moon. Nothing could sever the tie that bound us together. Little did I know how valuable this time would become to us.

As our car approached the house, I felt a tinge of sadness that it was over. A new chapter in our lives would begin as we relocated across the country to pursue one of the American dreams: College. I thought of my e-mails to both Charlie and Renee recounting imaginary experiences they thought I was having here at college. I felt bad that it had been lies. But I would soon be writing truthfully. Hopefully, it will be good news for both of us.

Alice stood at the top of the stairs, calmly watching us get out of the car. This was a first. I started to think something was wrong, but then Edward read that she had seen how our trip had gone, and she didn't want to break the spell. When I was standing next to her, she gently pecked my cheek, and turned to walk beside me into the house. I was surprised to see our luggage and boxes packed and ready to go. We would be really early for the next term. I suddenly became alarmed that maybe Alice had seen that we would go to visit Renee before we went to the school. When I turned to ask her, she was shaking her head back and forth.

"No. We will not be visiting Renee _yet_. It's not the right time. But there is a reason why we are going a few days early." Alice knew what my concerns were and relieved them before she continued. "DOC" she said. "Dartmouth Outing Club. All Freshmen are encouraged to participate in a 3 day nature outing to become familiar with the area. I thought it would be perfect! The weather will be cooperating. It should be a lot of fun."

I saw Edward brighten up. I felt the same way. We would need to get to know the area, and we could meet new people and integrate sooner this way. I stopped to wonder what it would be like to be new to a school, looking like them. I looked at Edward, then Alice. I remembered the first time I saw them in the cafeteria. They stood out in several different ways and that intrigued me. I was one of _them_ now. I wondered what people would think of me? Would they accept me? Would they give me a chance before writing me off? I felt Edward's arm around my waist. "Are you ready?"

I looked around the room, listening for something that was missing. "Where are Emmett and Rosalie?" I asked.

"They've gone ahead to find us a place" Alice answered. "It's great, I might add." Alice was looking at me as we shared the vision of our new home. It played out like a virtual tour of a home on the internet. As we turned a corner to see into another bedroom, I quickly shut my eyes tightly. I could hear Alice laughing. Edward was laughing too, now. We had stumbled onto Emmett and Rosalie, "breaking in" the new house. Oh, poor Alice. Poor me! I rushed outside to break the connection with Alice.

Jasper was there, standing beside the cars. He had a sly look on his face. "Imagine _feeling_ that, rather than seeing it!" he explained. I felt a little bad for Jasper at that moment. No wonder he spent so much time outside. I watched as he and Edward quickly packed our things into the trunks of the cars. There were three cars ready to go. Edward's Volvo, Alice's Porsche, and my car. I turned to look at Edward with fear in my eyes. He knew what I was thinking by that look.

"You will be riding with me. Jasper will drive your car." I sighed very obviously to show my relief. I saw Jasper shaking his head pitifully.

"Thank you, Jasper." I really meant it. "Thanks, Alice!" I yelled so she would hear, although I knew she would have heard if I whispered it. She was next to me in a flash, kissing me yet again on the cheek.

"You're welcome. We understand." I was overcome, again, by the love they showed me.

We drove across the country in record time. I was happy being with Edward, holding his hand. I loved brushing my fingers through his hair. I loved how he would move into my fingers, like a cat moving closer as it was petted. I would trace my finger along the side of his face, and head. He was ticklish in and around his ear. I would stop when he would close his eyes enjoying it for longer than I thought... prudent. We only stopped twice on the drive. When his enjoyment of my wanderings became too much for him. I think Jasper and Alice were grateful for the breaks. They missed each other, too.

Rosalie and Emmett were standing in front of the house as we pulled in. She was stunning, as usual. She looked happy. I was hoping this new scene would allow our friendship to continue to grow. Emmett went to help the boys unpack the cars. I saw Jasper and Emmett huddle together briefly. Then I saw Emmett grinning, like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. As he walked past me into the house, I heard him mumble "did you learn anything new, Bella?" I closed my eyes in embarrassment. But I opened them in time to see Rosalie glower at him. I giggled. Edward was beside me, ushering me into the house.

This house was a lot smaller than the other homes. It was narrow, but tall. There were four levels, and a basement. The main floor had a cozy living room, with a small study off to the side. The kitchen was tiny, but that didn't really matter. Each floor had a bedroom, bathroom, and reading area near the back wall. Almost the entire back wall of the house was glass. It overlooked a wooded plain that gradually inclined to meet the foot of a small mountain. "Now _that's_ what I call a kitchen!" I exclaimed, teasing. I could hear the others laughing. I turned to go check out our room. We were on the top floor. Rose had fully furnished the house. It was very comfortable. Edward very quickly put our things away, then came and stood in front of me. I thought he was going to hug me when he moved his arms around me, but instead I heard the door closing.

He was smiling, mischievously, when he said, "How about we break in our room?"


	6. DOC

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

D.O.C

We would not want for food here. Edward and I went into our backyard to find a pretty large variety of wildlife. I could tell he wanted me to be very satisfied before we went to our first day of pre-orientation. We walked hand in hand to Robinson Hall, the center for student activities. There was a lot of commotion going on as students were trying to do last minute registering and meeting and greeting old and new friends. We didn't know anyone here, besides our family. Alice and Jasper walked across the grass to join us. A few minutes later, Emmett and Rosalie arrived.

I was fascinated watching people's reactions as they saw us congregate. Rosalie drew the most attention, of course. Watching her, one would think that she were blind, the way she didn't make eye contact with anyone, or anything. She held Emmett's hand with a fierce grip. Next to her, Emmett was intimidating. I saw guys gawking after Rose only to quickly shy away when they met Emmett's face, or maybe it was his body. We were struggling to hold back our laughter as Emmett puffed up his upper body to appear even more threatening. If only they knew. Alice was leaning casually, but possessively against Jasper. I was surprised that for the most part, people were too caught up in their own excitement, that they didn't notice us. I was grateful.

Edward surprised me when he reached over and turned my head towards him. Then he planted a kiss on my lips with a twinkle in his eyes. I've seen this look before. I rolled my eyes at him as I saw that he caught several guys looking longingly at me. The kiss was his flag of ownership. Of course, I didn't mind. I was actually surprised that anyone noticed me among my current company. It suddenly occurred to me that women were probably checking him out. I quickly scanned the area. I saw a few heads turn snappily away when my eyes met theirs. Edward started laughing. I glared at him for a brief second, then threw my arms around his neck and kissed him recklessly.

Someone was trying to get our attention over a loud speaker. They wanted everyone to break into groups, according to the first letter of your last name. I was comforted that our family would all be together, since we were all registered as Cullens. There were probably thirty or so people in the "C" group. Our group leader was a pale, freckled, red head boy. He was probably a Junior here at Dartmouth. He announced that our group would be walking along a nature trail behind the school. He went down a list of items we should have brought with us, particularly sunscreen, a hat, and comfortable shoes. The first two items were unnecessary today because it was thickly overcast. They passed out water bottles and granola bars for us to take with us. We took it to amuse ourselves. Maybe we could make friends by offering our goods to those in need.

The trail was smooth and easy to follow. I thought about how my former self would probably have tripped several times along this same path. Edward must have been thinking a similar thought because he reached over and cradled my elbow, as if to steady me. I liked it. He could touch me anytime he wanted. Alice looked like she was skipping and having a grand time. Jasper was more reserved again. I think it was being around so many people. Emmett kept up his tough guy act because he saw a group of boys trying to walk closer and closer to Rosalie. She continued to act completely oblivious to everyone around her. I could tell they were talking to each other, though. I saw their lips moving really fast. I realized I didn't use that skill very often. I guess I was still content to converse at human speed.

A group of three girls were walking quickly, and went off the path to get around us, when one of the girls tripped on a protruding root. I didn't stop to think about it, I stepped closer and reached out to grab her arm before she hit the ground. I was stunned by the look of shock on her face. I wasn't sure if I had grabbed her too hard, or if it was my cold touch. I let go immediately, and she continued on her previous path towards the ground. She let out a scream when her hands hit the rough ground. Edward pulled me forward, to move away from her. He started talking, fast.

"Don't worry, it was just that you were really cold... and hard. It shocked her. You also moved a little too fast that it scared her. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you more about that. We have to be... careful. You had wonderful intentions, Bella, I know that. Don't feel bad. She'll be okay." Edward spoke quickly, and calmly. I dropped my head, realizing I still had a lot to learn. Edward wrapped one arm more tightly around my waist, and leaned his face against the top of my head. Somehow, I could feel that he was smiling. I peeked into his mind to see that some guys had seen what I had done and were amazed. Not enough to be scared, or freaked out, but enough to be slightly aroused. I shook my head and blocked out his thoughts. Yuck, college boys!

When we were back at Robinson Hall, I saw the girl who had fallen on the trail getting bandages put on her hands. I kept thinking, "that was me." Her two friends were off talking to some boys, so I went over and approached her slowly. When she saw me, I could see confusion in her eyes. I smiled and held out my hand. "Hello, my name is Bella. Are you alright?" I saw her relax a little, but she didn't hold out her hand.

"Hi. I'm Jen. Sorry, I'd shake your hand, but mine kind of hurts right now." I'm glad she explained that because I just thought she was still afraid of me. "Are you a freshman too?"

"Yes, we just arrived from Canada. I'm American, but we lived in Canada before we moved here." I wasn't sure why I was telling her all this. "Sorry if I scared you earlier, it's just that I used to fall _all_ the time, and I tried to help when I saw that you were going to fall." It was the truth. I held up my hands and said "I tend to be on the cold side." I could see her mind trying to make sense of it. Then I watched as her face started to blush. I knew _I_ couldn't have that affect on her. As Edward's hand came to rest on my shoulder I knew why she was blushing. He had that affect on people, I knew best of all.

"This is Edward. Edward, this is Jen." I noticed she was looking down at the ground now, probably too embarrassed to look directly at him. "Edward is my husband, and we're both going to school here." Her head popped up when she heard the word _husband_. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"You're married? How old are you? Are you crazy?" As soon as the words left her mouth, I knew she regretted it. "I'm sorry, I just... can't imagine..." she trailed off with a look of bewilderment. She is more like me than I thought. I smiled, hoping she would know I was not offended.

"We'll see you here tomorrow?" I asked as we were turning to leave.

"I guess so. That depends on what they have planned. I better bring a helmet and knee pads." She was serious, but we couldn't help but laugh.

"It was nice to meet you. Hopefully we'll see you tomorrow. You can walk with us if you want." I wasn't exactly sure why I was encouraging this acquaintance, but I had nothing to lose, at this point.

Edward smiled down at me and said "you've made a friend Bella. You can see yourself in her, can't you?" He noticed. He was thinking that she wasn't anything like me. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head again.


	7. The Hike

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

The Hike

I was getting excited to find out what our sun fearing, red headed group leader had planned for us today. I was glad that it would be another overcast day, with a slight chance of rain. Clouds meant we could be outside. Although, we found lots of indoor activities that suited us just fine. But today, I wanted to be outside. I was hoping to see Jen again. I wasn't exactly sure why, but I wanted to watch her, or maybe watch _out_ for her. In any case, I hoped she would at least say hello to me.

Edward and I found a nice spot under a large tree, just across from the main building. He sat with his back against the tree, and I sat in front of him, leaning back onto his chest. Every so often, he would kiss my hair. I watched as people walked by, trying to avert their eyes. We weren't doing anything, but it felt intimate, and I think the passersby could sense it. Edward reached over and lifted my left hand, holding it in such a way that my ring sparkled in the filtered light. I was so busy admiring my ring that I didn't notice the three girls who were now standing in front of us. I looked up to see Jen, and her two friends from yesterday. They were all staring at my hand.

Edward quickly stood up and held out his hand to help me up. Chivalry was not dead. I could see Jen and her friends were impressed. Who wouldn't be with Edward? Everything he did was perfect. Once I was standing, he put his arm around my waist. The girls were having a hard time looking at us, well, him. I nudged him in his side. He understood. He excused himself to go look for the others. Once he left, the girls all seemed to breathe again.

"I told you she was married to him, and he's... hot." Jen was talking to her friends, but at the end of her sentence her face screwed up as she realized I was still there. "Oops, sorry." I shrugged my shoulders to show her I didn't mind.

"I'm glad you came. How are your hands?" I was smiling, and I could see that they were oddly mesmerized by it. Jen turned her palms up to show me they were still bandaged. I was about to reach out and touch them, but then decided not to.

"Did you hear what we're doing today?" she asked me, with exaggerated disbelief. "They want us to hike up the mountain, like five or six miles... in one direction." It was obvious she found this plan formidable.

"Sounds fun. Could be worth it!" I was trying to sound upbeat and positive. They all looked at each other, not sure of what they wanted to do. They started to whisper amongst themselves. Then her two friends smiled politely at me and left. Jen just shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess I'll give it a try. I have nothing else to do today." She sat down next to me. I could tell she wanted to ask me something. I waited. She finally turned to me and said "Is he real? Where did you find him?" She would not believe me if I told her the truth.

"Mail order. Made to my specifications." I grinned. She laughed as she realized I was kidding.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you guys look really... happy, and in-love." I could see it was hard for her to say that. She continued "my parents got married early because my mom got pregnant with me. Then they divorced when I was two. I've lived with my mom the whole time. She made me swear I would not get married until I was finished with college. Even then, I don't know if she'd trust any guy I brought home. How did your parents take it?"

"They were... shocked, but they could see how much we loved each other." I was aware of more similarities between us as she opened up to me. I noticed her hair for the first time. She kept it pulled back into a ponytail, but I imagined, if she let it down, it would be the same length as mine. It was the same color too. I was distracted when Alice approached. I could see she wanted to talk to me. I stood and excused myself to go speak with her. As soon as I was near her, she started to speed talk. She had had a vision, but she was confused about it. She said there were a couple of vampires in the area who she did not recognize. She saw Edward carrying me near a waterfall. She then saw me walking away with these strange vampires. She waited for my response, but I was just as confused as she was.

"Did you tell Edward?" I asked her.

"Yes, he thinks we should go back to the house so the boys can go look for these strangers." She didn't like the idea of the boys out there with the unknown. I didn't either. Just then we heard over the loud speaker that our group was ready to leave for the hike. Jen came up to us and stood there waiting. I quickly introduced her to Alice, then looked around for Edward. He was walking towards us. He had that worried look in his eyes.

I wasn't sure why, but I didn't want to ruin this hike. I had already talked Jen into going, I couldn't back out now. I explained to Edward, and although he wanted to say no, he had a hard time doing that. He gave Alice a message, then she left. I read in his mind that he told her to tell the others to find out what they could about the strange visitors. He would stay with me. We all had our phones, if we needed to contact each other. He turned to us and put on his best face. Jen looked away, it was too much for her. I, on the other hand, knew this face, and his smile didn't reach his eyes.

The hike started off like any other hike. It moved slowly as the large group followed too closely to each other. Then, the group started to thin as the differing skill levels presented themselves. Since Jen was with us, we were left towards the end of the group. She kept apologizing. Every time she did, I would look at Edward, acknowledging that _that_ was once me. I caught her a couple times before she had a chance to hit the ground. She was grateful and surprised each time. Edward and I would stop and pretend to admire the scenery so we could wait for her to catch up. We both started to relax and enjoy the hike as the morning continued uneventful.

I looked at Edward with excitement as I heard the distant rush of water falling. For a moment, I was sad we weren't alone right then. But then I looked at Jen, trying so hard to keep up and trying to look like she was enjoying it. I offered her my water and granola bar, assuring her I didn't need it. When we got closer to the waterfall, Edward and I got caught up in a private moment as pleasant memories resurfaced. Our momentary bliss was shattered by a scream. Jen had slipped on a mossy rock and fell on her hip, then hit her head. We were both by her side in a flash. It was a good thing we were alone and that she was semi-conscious. I was about to pick her up, when I heard Edward think that it would probably look peculiar if someone saw me carrying her so easily. I stepped back so he could pick her up. She winced and kept her eyes closed. He carried her over the rocks, around the waterfall, and set her down on a soft patch of grass.

"I'll stay with her, you go get help" I said to him. I sat down next to her on the grass. He came over and kissed me gently on the lips.

"I'll be right back" he said, and he disappeared. Jen was starting to moan in pain. I had no idea what to do. She turned her head from one side to the other. That's when I smelled it. I quickly covered my mouth and nose with my hands. I could see the matted hair against her scalp where the blood had pooled after she hit her head. I stood up, backing away from her. Reason was struggling to flee my mind. How did I end up in this situation? How could I be so confident, and foolish? I felt so ashamed, I turned and ran.


	8. Choice and Accountability

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Choice and Accountability

I'm so glad I can close my eyes and have the darkness surround me. I feel horrible. I want Edward to hold me, but I don't feel... worthy right now. How could I have been so foolish to think I was beyond _that_? How did I let myself become so cocky that I thought I could handle... everything? _That smell_. I've known that smell for as long as I can remember, but it had the absolute, complete opposite effect that it used to have. I still can't believe that I wanted it, needed it, almost did the unthinkable to get it. What have I become? What am I going to do? If I didn't have Edward, I would find a way to destroy myself. What will he think of me? I need him. I wish he were here.

"Bella?" I heard a faint whisper. It was Edward's voice, but maybe I was imagining it. "Bella?" It was louder now. I opened my eyes to see Edward, his face wrought with worry and concern. I tucked my head as far down as I could, trying to hide my shame from him. He stood there, unmoving, watching me. Maybe he is disgusted? Maybe he is disappointed? I can't bear to look at him again. I don't want to know what he's thinking. Oh no, I can feel him next to me. 

"No." The word came out, but I didn't mean it at all. He is pulling me onto his lap. His arms are cradling me. I wish I could cry to release all these emotions building inside of me. I can feel his mouth against my head, kissing my hair. I'm not going to read his thoughts. I have to hear it with my own ears. I will have to deal with his disappointment sooner or later, later preferably. This feels too good. I don't deserve it.

"Bella, I've been looking for you. I've missed you." I could hear the sincerity and hurt in his voice. "Jen is fine. They are taking her down as we...speak." He was waiting for me to actually join the conversation. "Please talk to me." His voice was pleading.

"I can't believe... what I almost did." I was pressing my head into his chest. It shocked me when it started to shake slightly as he began to laugh. I looked up, shocked at his response. How could he be laughing? When he saw my face, he stopped, confused.

"Almost, Bella, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm sure it was a complete surprise to you. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you through it. I didn't realize she was... bleeding when I left. I would not have put you in that situation if I had known." I hid my face against his chest again, unsure of what to think.

"I'm sorry" I whispered. "I didn't know I was... capable of feeling that way. I was too confident, too sure of myself. Will you forgive me?" I took a chance and looked up, hoping to see his comforting eyes telling me he did forgive me. But instead, he looked angry.

"There is nothing to forgive here. Bella, do you understand what just happened?" He was angry.

"I nearly killed my new friend." That was the bottom line, to me.

"No. You didn't. You were put into a situation that, frankly, you walked away from better and stronger than you were before. Do you realize the power you have? You made a choice, before you ever became like us, that you didn't want to give in to _that_ part of our natural instincts. You overcame it in the very moment that it could have controlled you. You remained in control. You walked away, and now you will have even greater power to do that if you are faced with it again. Bella, I am so proud of you!"

I started to shake, so intense was my relief and joy at what Edward had just said to me. I could hardly believe he was talking about me. I wanted to believe everything he said. He reached down and lifted my chin so that his face was so close to mine, our noses touched. "I said I was proud of you!" He pressed his lips to mine, and I melted into him. I felt all the worry and disgust I felt for myself melt away as his breath filled my head. It was like the light chasing away the darkness. He always managed to be the light. Oh how I loved the light.

The sky was darkening when we finally got up to return home. I was afraid to go home and face the others. They might not see it the way Edward did. I had an idea. "Edward, can we go and check on Jen?" He hesitated, then nodded. We started to walk, our hands tightly grasping each others. I wanted to be closer. I stopped and stood in front of him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He was feeling the same way, he scooped up my legs and cradled me as we walked down the mountain.

"You want to tell me about your snack?" he asked playfully. He must have seen the elk carcass when he was looking for me.

"I didn't know what to do. When I ran away from her, I was afraid my thirst would drive me back there. So when I saw the elk, I attacked it, hoping it would satisfy me." I felt ashamed again.

"That was good thinking, Bella. You need to give yourself more credit." He sounded so sure of himself. I would have to work on that. I will be more prepared, but try to remain humble. I will not let pride get in the way of safety, for myself, or more importantly, for others.

We had arrived back at the campus. We inquired from a passing security guard about the injured hiker today. He pointed us to one of the dorms and told us to ask for Archie. When we arrived at the dorm, I recognized our red headed leader. I chuckled, he looked like an Archie. "Are you Archie?" I asked.

"Yes." It took a minute, then he recognized us. "You were in our group. And you got help for... Jen, right?" He was looking at Edward. Edward nodded. "Well, she's at the hospital. She was fine when I left there about an hour ago. Visiting hours are over, but you could probably go visit her tomorrow. They say she might have a concussion, a few bruises, but other than that, she's fine. I'm glad you guys found her. Thanks. It could have been worse, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk back into the building.

Edward and I walked thoughtfully back to the car. He held my door open as I slowly dropped into my seat. When he was in, he looked over at me and waited. I sat there, dreading going back to the house, but I didn't want to tell Edward that. Finally, he turned on the car and started driving in the direction opposite of our house. I didn't ask any questions because it seemed like the farther we got, the more relaxed I felt. He pulled up in front of a motel. He reached over and squeezed my hand. I wished I could tell him how grateful I was for his intuitiveness. I guess I would just have to show him.


	9. Acceptance

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Acceptance

Edward's phone rang, disturbing the silence in the room. We were lying on the bed, facing each other. It had been like this all night. Well, not all night. I showed him my appreciation when we first arrived, but since then, we've been lost in each other's eyes. We hardly moved. Once in a while, he would reach out and brush my cheek, or lips, or hair. I'm not sure why, but I kept hoping he would hear my thoughts. We've only experienced that in the sun, but I wanted so badly to have that open communication all the time. He had proven to me, time and time again, that he always had _our _best interests at heart. He made one mistake, one time, when he thought he was doing what was best for _me_. But, now I know, he thinks only of _us_. The phone kept ringing. I knew who it would be.

"Hello?" I answered. The silence on the other end indicated the person did not expect me to answer.

"Oh, Bella? Hi. How... are... you?" It was Alice. This was not like her to hesitate.

"I'm fine, thanks. What's going on?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing? I was worried when you didn't come back yesterday after the hike. We heard about the girl, Jen, getting hurt, and..." she paused.

"She fell and hit her head. She's at the hospital, and she'll be alright." I spoke matter-of-factly. Alice was quiet for a moment longer.

"Bella? Are you trying to hurt me? Have I done anything to make you think..." I could hear the sadness in her voice. Why was I being so hard on myself? Why was I taking it out on Alice?

"No. Alice, I'm so sorry, I would never hurt you. I hope I never hurt anyone, I just thought you guys would... laugh at me." I realized it was true when I said it.

"You did it. You hurt me. You'd better come right home and make it up to me." The way Alice said that left me wondering what she was really feeling.

"Okay, we're coming home." I answered and hung up the phone. I looked back at Edward and he had a smile on his face.

"Did you really think they would laugh?" he asked incredulously. I thought about it before I responded. It was so horrifying to me while I was going through it, that I assumed the worst from everyone. Now that I was more relaxed, and Edward had buoyed up my spirits, I was starting to see how ridiculous I was being. I shook my head in answer to Edward's question.

"Yes, but now I know they wouldn't. Let's go home so I can apologize." I started to get out of the bed, when he pulled me back down to him. He held me fiercely in his embrace. He was thinking about how much he loved me, as absurd as I could sometimes be, he loved me.

The drive home was quick. When we pulled up to the house, I was surprised to see Jasper standing in front of the house. I looked at Edward, to assess why he was there. Edward shook his head, telling me I needed to find out myself. Time to be a big girl now.

When I approached Jasper, he surprised me with a hug. Edward walked past us smiling. I was hoping they weren't all going to be feeling bad for me.

"Bella, you are stronger than I have ever been. I hope you don't mind, but Alice told us what happened, and I am... proud of you." I couldn't believe my ears. I was anticipating laughter, bets being placed, joking at my expense, but instead, respect and admiration.

"Thank you, Jasper." I was whispering, afraid to break the dreamlike situation I was in, instead of the nightmare I had imagined. We walked into the house. He kept his arm around me. Alice came bounding down the stairs and ran right into us. She wrapped her arms around both of us, and started jumping up and down. I bent forward and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm sorry, Alice. Forgive me?" She just smiled at me, then kissed me on the cheek, then turned and kissed Jasper on the cheek. I decided to follow suit, so I turned and kissed him on the cheek too. If Jasper were able, he would be blushing.

I immediately felt a hand sliding around my waist, and a teasing voice saying "Okay, that's enough of that." Edward. I turned and kissed him on the cheek so he wouldn't feel left out. He beamed. When I finally looked past his incredible face, I saw Emmett and Rosalie standing together in the family room. I closed my eyes for a moment, then walked towards them.

Emmett had a huge grin on his face. I couldn't help but like him more and more. "Do I get one?" he asked. At first I was confused, then I smiled when I realized what he wanted. I leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. Then, to make it fair, I turned and kissed Rose on her cheek. She bowed her head when I did. "Bella, you did good. You're hurting our learning curve, however." Emmett could always make me laugh. Rose wasn't laughing, though. I looked at her, waiting to get some kind of response from her. As if everyone else in the room knew it, they made their excuses to leave. I was left alone with Rosalie. She finally looked up, took my hand, and led me to the couch to sit down.

"Bella. I made it clear to you from the beginning how I felt. You know it has been difficult for me to watch you... become one of... us. I still think you've given up so much, but... you consistently surprise me. I want to hate you. You should have been dead, when you were still _able_ to die. Yet, you walked away from life and death situations still believing in one thing, eternal life with Edward. I told you, before, that there was a time when I was jealous of you, because Edward chose you. I'm sorry to admit this, but I have felt jealous of you again. You look so happy. You've accepted this vampire lifestyle so... easily. I had hoped," I could see she was struggling and very sorry as she continued, "that maybe if you _slipped_, you would realize the mistake you made." She stopped, waiting for my retaliation. But I remained quiet. "When Alice explained what you did, I wanted to hate you, but instead, I found myself... admiring... you. I'm sorry." Her head was bowed, and she was holding both my hands in hers.

"Thank you, Rosalie. You have no reason to apologize. I have seen how difficult it has been for you. I'm sorry that you didn't choose this life, like I have. I believe that has made all the difference. I hope you can... be happy for me now." I was waiting, not knowing what she would say next. I was so pleased when she wrapped her arms around me.

"I am. I'm glad you're one of us now. Welcome to the family." When she sat back, it was the first time I ever saw Rosalie smiling her radiantly, dazzling smile. She was even more beautiful than ever.


	10. Brothers

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Brothers

I believe Edward was just as happy as I was about what transpired between Rosalie and I. He was shocked when he first saw it in her mind. His first instinct was to be angry that she thought I was better off dead, but then as she continued, he recognized her humility. He knew she was sincere. She was always honest, but this really came from her heart. She felt a little guilty for hoping I would _slip_, but her true motivation was love. We were both lost in our thoughts as we drove to the hospital.

I wasn't sure what to expect when we saw Jen again. I had a full breakfast, of sorts, to prepare me for this. Edward held my hand, reassurance in every squeeze. I was strong before, I knew I could be strong again. I just hoped she didn't blame us for what happened. I got nervous thinking about that. I was the one who invited her. I walked with her, helping her when she struggled, catching her when she fell. But when she needed me most, I was lost in Edward's eyes. Hopefully she doesn't remember anything after the fall. I especially hope she didn't see my horror stricken face as I withdrew from her, and then turned and abandoned her. How will I explain that to her, if she did see me? I needed to calm down. Edward released my hand and placed his on my shoulder. He knew just where to squeeze to release my tension. I closed my eyes as a feeling of relaxation washed over me. "I love you" I whispered in my delirium.

"We're here." Edward had pulled into the parking lot. I stared at this hospital, grateful to know I would never have to visit there myself. Before, it was almost guaranteed that I would become well acquainted with a hospital, and it's staff. Now, I would only visit others. I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do a lot of that either. But I needed to do this. Edward opened my door and we walked together into the hospital. We inquired at the front desk about the female hiker who was injured yesterday. The administrator searched on the computer, then looked up and said she had been discharged. We were both surprised.

"She was just admitted yesterday. She stayed here last night." Edward tried to clarify. She looked irritated that we doubted her.

"Why don't you go speak with her doctor then?" She said it rather rudely. I was surprised that she could treat him that way, because he usually had a different affect on people. He looked surprised too. We walked down the hall and asked a nurse who was the doctor in charge of the hiker. She pointed us in the right direction. She said to ask for Dr. Adams. She said we'd recognize him as the one who looked like a walking zombie. He was just finishing a thirty-six hour shift. We recognized him immediately.

"Excuse me, are you Dr. Adams?" I interrupted him while he was filling in a chart. He glanced up briefly, then returned to his writing, nodding. "We're looking for Jen, the hiker from yesterday? She had a concussion?" He paused as if thinking about it, then finished writing in his chart. When he was done, he clipped the pen to the chart and turned to face us.

"She was discharged this morning. I assume it was your brothers she left with?" He looked at us as if we should know what he was talking about. Edward saw the two strangers in his head. Yes, they would pass as his brothers, as far as vampires resembled each other. It was then that Edward and I looked wide eyed at each other. We both inhaled, focusing on what we were looking for. We found it. I confirmed my conclusion with his in his head. Vampires.

We quickly thanked the doctor and walked off, following the scent. As we passed the administrator, Edward understood why she was rude earlier. The strangers had been rude to her, and she assumed we were with them. When we came back out to the parking lot, we lost their scent. We both pulled out our phones and dialed. He was calling Emmett, so I called Jasper. I told Jasper exactly what Edward was telling Emmett. Then we jumped into our car and raced home.

Everyone was waiting. Edward explained what happened at the hospital. He then told them about the strangers who showed up in Forks, and now the strangers who were here. We had no way of knowing if they were the same or not. I had an idea. I got out my phone and dialed Jacob. Edward was fine with it. When I greeted Jacob over the phone, it was the rest of the family who looked shocked. Edward held up his hands and gestured to them that it was okay and to calm down.

"Hi Jake. How are you? We're fine. Any news on the strange vampires over there?" I asked casually. I listened as he filled me in, then thanked him and said goodbye. When I hung up the phone, I had to laugh because everyone still looked stunned. Edward smiled at me then explained to them about our previous phone conversation with Jacob. I explained that Jacob and his pack had not crossed their scent again since the last time we talked. We could assume that these two were probably the same vampires who were in Forks. Edward was thinking that they had very good tracking skills, however, they didn't appear dangerous. There weren't any reports of missing people or mysterious deaths in Washington, or New Hampshire. Something occurred to me suddenly. I turned to face Alice.

"Your vision. You said Edward was carrying _me_ near a waterfall. Then _I_ was walking away with the strangers. It wasn't me you saw. It was Jen." Alice looked dumbfounded. We had assumed it was me Edward was carrying. We also assumed it was me walking away with the strangers. Actually, Alice was seeing the strangers, they being vampires, but was distracted by the person she thought was me.

Alice had a special sense that warned us if other vampires were nearby. It still worked. The only problem was that she was looking for other things. It was not her fault. We should have told them about Jacob's call sooner. I remembered that Edward had changed his mind about telling Alice over the phone. We didn't want to make a big deal about it. But now it was unavoidable.

First, we had to find Jen. Hopefully we were wrong, and she was back at her dorm, safe and sound. But we doubted that. We were trying to figure out why these vampires would take her. Was it a coincidence? Most of my experiences from the last few years left me seriously doubting that anything which involved me was not a coincidence. Everything happens for a reason. Why did I want to be her friend? Why did I think I could carry on a normal... life? What if I am the reason she is hurt, or worse, killed? But why would they take her? Edward was guiding me to the car again. We drove in silence, my guilt increasing as we got closer to the campus dorms.

I went into the main dorms and inquired about her. The resident advisor told me her building and room number. Edward came with me to her room. I began to feel relief when I heard music coming from the other side of her door. I knocked. One of her friends, that I met briefly before the hike, answered. She kept the door mostly closed. I could see she was scantily dressed, and perspiring. "Is Jen here?" I asked, knowing it was a ridiculous question.

"Oh, no, I haven't seen her since yesterday. Can I give her a message?" She didn't seem concerned.

"Do you know where she went after she left the hospital?"

"Hospital? When was she at the hospital?" She really looked surprised.

"She fell down on the hike yesterday and was hurt. I'm trying to find her so I can make sure she's alright." I was getting nervous again.

"Oh, she's probably fine. She falls all the time. She probably ran home so her mommy can make her all better." That irritated me, because that's probably how some of my friends felt about me. Except, I didn't run home to mommy. I did most of the comforting in that relationship.

"Do you have a phone number where I can reach her?" I was grasping for anything.

Her friend closed the door, then opened it up a few seconds later and passed a small slip of paper to me. She had written down a cell phone number. "Thanks!" I said, but the door was already closed. I looked at Edward, and he rolled his eyes. I took a peek into his mind to see she was very anxious to get back to her previous activity. I pulled him out of the hormone saturated halls and got back into the car. I pulled out my phone and dialed the number on the slip of paper. It rang a couple of times, then someone answered.

"Hello? Jen? Is this Jen's phone?" I was so hopeful that I had reached her.

"This is Jen's phone, but you are not speaking with Jen. I'm glad you called. We've been waiting." The beautiful lilt of his voice, so musical, so dreamy, shattered any hope that Jen was safe and sound.


	11. The Proposal

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Proposal

They gave us our instructions. We were to come alone. If they sensed anyone else from our family nearby, they would hurt her. We heard her whimpering in the background, so we knew she was alive. They assured us that they only wanted to talk. As we drove, I called Alice and explained to her what was happening. She tried to focus on the new vampires. She was quiet for a couple minutes, then she told us we would be alright. She confirmed that they only wanted to talk. Jen was fine. When I got off the phone with Alice, I was even more confused. I wanted to ask Edward a lot of questions that I knew he didn't have answers to. He was sitting there thinking that he didn't want me anywhere near them. He wanted to keep me safe. But he knew he couldn't keep me from going with him.

We crossed over into Vermont, and then continued north. We drove for a couple hours, then we pulled off the main road and followed an unmarked dirt road off into the darkness. We knew when we were close. We could smell them. We pulled up to a very nondescript house. It appeared to be abandoned, but we knew better. Edward came around and helped me out of the car. Not only because he was being a gentleman, but because he wanted to protect me. I couldn't help but smile as he walked slightly in front of me as we approached the front door. The inner door opened and we could see a pale figure through the screen door, standing in the darkness. We all froze, assessing each other. When he felt that we were not a threat, he pushed open the screen door to let us in. Our eyes adjusted easily to the darkness. It felt as if we had night vision built into our eyes. We were finally face to face with the two strangers.

"I'm Tristan. This is my brother, Trevor. It is... an honor to finally meet you." I gasped when he finished his sentence. I looked at Edward, and saw in his mind that he was just as surprised as I was. They led us to a couch, but before I sat, I asked to see Jen. They looked at each other, then Trevor nodded and we followed him to the room adjacent to the living room. Jen was on a bed and appeared to be sleeping. I listened closely and could hear her breathing. I was satisfied, for now. We returned to the couch and sat down this time. We had no idea what they knew about us. We had absolutely no idea about them. I knew Edward would be scanning their thoughts to make some sense of what was happening. I, of course, kept track of what he was finding. It was all very interesting. We were surprised that they were more than willing to tell us everything they were thinking.

"Trevor and I were sent to find you. We represent a small group, if you can call it that, who are ready for some changes. We became what we are, not so long ago. We are brothers. Our parents didn't survive. We didn't choose this life, but we're trying to make it work. We have heard stories... about you." He was looking at us. I was concentrating on reading Edward's mind. Tristan was sharing the nice version of what happened. We saw them on vacation in Italy. A typical family touring the romantic, European castles and towns. Outside one city, high up on a hill, a beautiful woman approached this family and invited them to join her on a special tour of the castle. They accepted the invitation gladly. It was their last family vacation before Tristan went off the college. Tristan was 18, Trevor was 16. They were very close. So close, they could anticipate what the other was going to say or do. Marcus noticed them when they entered the castle turret. He ordered for them to be spared, not to live, but to become one of us.

Edward was still apprehensive about their intentions. Although I felt for them, I had a few questions .

"Were you in Washington before you came here? Why didn't you speak with Carlisle? Why did you come here and take Jen, of all people? If you wanted to talk to us, why didn't you just approach us?" I saw Tristan look down, like he was ashamed, when I asked these questions. They were being honest with us so far, so I didn't try to read their thoughts. I listened to his explanation.

"Yes, we went to Washington first. That is where we heard your _family_ spent most of the time. We were curious about how you managed to stay in one place for so long. We know nothing of Carlisle, except that Aro was quite impressed with him. He spoke of Carlisle as a friend, so we didn't know if we could trust him. We left Washington and followed a trail north. We found your house there. We just missed you, but we would not have approached you there either, we were outnumbered. We are still outnumbered, which is why we used this girl, Jen, to draw you away from the others. We do not intend on hurting her, we simply wanted you to come to us." We knew he meant it. We could see he felt bad for taking her, but we could also understand why. I was just hoping that her concussion was severe enough that she would think this whole experience was a bad dream.

"So what do you want from us?" Edward interrupted.

"Your help." Just then Trevor turned on the lamp on the table next to the couch. We could see their faces more clearly now. The first thing I noticed was their eyes. They were more like ours. I felt even more relief as I comprehended what that meant. They were both very handsome. Tristan had wavy brown hair that came down to the top of his shoulders. Trevor's hair was short and brown, but he had streaks of blond highlights. They were both dressed very simply in jeans, long sleeved cotton dress shirts, and light sports coats over that. They looked like very nice guys.

"How can _we_ help you?" I was surprised at Edward's tone. I looked at him for answers. Edward was thinking about the timing. He had been so excited about coming to Dartmouth so that I could have the college experience I never had. We just reached a place in our lives where we thought we didn't have to worry about vampires who were out to get me. Also, he was so thrilled that our family, every member of the family, was finally reconciled and happy. Edward did not want anything to destroy the peace we were finally enjoying. I squeezed the hand he was holding. He glanced at me, trying to smile.

I looked up to see Trevor looking intently at Tristan. Then Tristan nodded. Edward's head snapped up to look at them, then he began to chuckle as he realized what just occurred. They were both staring at us.

"It's true, you can read other's minds can't you?" Tristan looked excited at he spoke. Trevor, however, looked worried. They were looking at _both_ of us. "Trevor and I can only read each other. That's why we were _spared_. But to be able to tell what anyone is thinking, wow, that would be so... helpful."

I was about to speak, but Edward put his hand out in front of me, indicating to me that I should wait. "We have gifts, but we won't use them to... injure others. We use it only to protect ourselves."

"That's not true. You use your vampire skills to help others too, like Jen." Trevor spoke, which surprised us, because he hardly said a word since we arrived. "We've been watching you. You're careful, but you still make mistakes." He was looking at me. I knew he was referring to the nature hike, when I first interfered with Jen. It was true, my human instincts were still strong, and I haven't learned to control my actions. I looked down, chagrined.

"Bella did nothing wrong. Her heart is pure, her intentions were good." Edward spoke defensively. I could hear a low growl deep in his chest. I squeezed his arm with both of my hands. The growl dissipated. I looked up to see Tristan had moved to stand closer, in front of Trevor. When Edward saw it, he let out a sigh. "It appears we both have something we wish to protect. But we need time to discuss this with our family. You can trust us. We mean no harm to anyone. We will, however, need to return Jen to the hospital."

Tristan nodded. Trevor walked to the bedroom. He picked Jen up gently, then carried her to our car. Edward opened my door and let me get in. He stood outside, looking at the brothers standing in front of the house. "We will contact _you_ when we have made a decision." Edward's voice was filled with finality.

I was grateful Jen was fast asleep as we drove back to the hospital. There was a gurney right inside the emergency entrance. We decided not to draw anymore attention to ourselves, so we left her there and watched until someone found her minutes later. I felt so relieved knowing she would be alright. Now, however, we had to go home and discuss another big decision. To help, or not to help. That was the question.


	12. Family Council

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Family Council

We were relieved to find everyone waiting in the family room when we walked into the house. It felt good to feel so... united. I could see they had been discussing it already. Alice had filled them in as we drove back from our little meeting. Edward had decided that we needed to make a family decision, so Alice conveniently prepared everyone. There was one last thing to do. Call Carlisle.

"Excuse me, do you really think I'm that incompetent?" Alice asked us, jokingly irritated when she saw Edward pull out his phone. "I've already called Carlisle. He and Esme are on their way. They should be here in a few hours." She skipped over to Jasper and jumped onto his lap. She had a smug look on her face, but she quickly grinned to show us she was joking. I felt an even greater sense of relief knowing Carlisle and Esme were on their way. The entire family would be together again. It has been several months since we were last together.

The last time we saw them was when we were in Forks for Christmas through New Years Day. Charlie had taken the day off to spend time with us before we left. We had a lot of fun. Charlie took us by surprise by suggesting we go play baseball, because he was so intrigued that Edward was able to get me excited about the game. He had no idea. So, we indulged him and played a friendly game of _human_ baseball. It was funny to watch the others struggling to run slowly, and hit the ball gently. It was almost painful for them to restrain themselves. But, they did it for me. I think the biggest shock for Charlie was that I actually hit the ball. The look of surprise on his face was priceless. I was glad to make him a little proud. He had always worried about my inadequacies when it came to physical fitness. It was a great day.

Emmett and Rosalie were talking to each other in one corner. I could see Emmett's face was wild with excitement. Edward was watching him too, but his face looked concerned. He wasn't completely on board with helping Tristan's group. Emmett, on the other hand, was ready to jump at any chance to fight. This would be a huge decision: to go up against the Volturi. We did not know what Carlisle would have to say about it, so, we waited. Edward and I sat down together and listened to the conversations going on in the room.

Alice was telling Jasper about our last visit to Volterra. I could sense his growing anger as he remembered the fear of possibly losing Alice. She had assured him over the phone that she would find a way out, but he knew her chances were slim if Edward had exposed himself. Alice was stroking his head, trying to calm him. Once he was calm, she continued with her recollection of what happened. Edward tensed up as she described the events that transpired in the castle turret. Emmett and Rosalie were drawn in to listen to the story again. I don't think Alice realized what she was doing. As far as I could tell, the retelling of this nightmare was fueling the fire for mutiny. Even Edward was starting to think of sweet revenge. He recalled the last visit from Jane. His eyes darkened momentarily as he remembered it.

When Alice arrived at the part when we were all reunited at the airport, she and Jasper were locked in each other's gaze. Just like at the airport. Jasper seemed to have felt all the feelings he felt then, again. He was glowing with the joy he felt to be with her, safe. They only had eyes for each other. Then, all we could do was grin as Jasper stood up, Alice still in his arms, and walked up the stairs.

"Go Jasper!" Emmett hollered, before Rosalie hit him in the shoulder. Even that didn't break the spell those two were in. I watched as Emmett then turned to Rosalie and attempted to bat his eyelashes, suggesting they follow Jasper's example. It was too late, Rosalie stood irritated and walked away from Emmett. His eyes grew wide with mock anger, and he chased after her and swooped her off her feet and up the stairs in the blink of an eye. We heard a door slam, and then laughter ensue. I started laughing and Edward looked at me, bemused. All the stress and anxiety from the past couple of days compared to the irony of what just happened, seemed funny to me. I leaned my head onto Edward's shoulder and closed my eyes.

Edward said my name, and I opened my eyes. I lifted my head off his shoulder to find everyone staring at me. I looked at Edward, and he was smiling. What did I do now? I searched his mind to find out what I did. Everyone began to smile as I realized I had been talking in my sleep. Mostly about Edward. I blurted out simple phrases, like "I love you", "let's swim", and "again". I was so embarrassed, but really, what could I do? I also saw that I had expressed my love for every person in this family, so they were all rather touched, so that alleviated some of my embarrassment. Alice came and sat next to me. She put her arm around my shoulder. She was thinking that my talking in my sleep was just as entertaining as Edward had expressed when he used to come and watch me sleep in Forks.

"You probably don't want to do that in here, again. But it was entertaining!" Her smile prevented me from completely dying of humiliation. As I glanced around the room, I realized _everyone_ was here. I stood up quickly and rushed to Esme's side and hugged her. Carlisle was sitting on the armrest next to her. He looked down at me, with pleasing eyes. I reached over and squeezed his hand, in recognition. We were all together, that made everything better. Now that Carlisle was here, I could see the mantle of leadership was passed back to him.

Carlisle began. "I have been filled in on everything that has occurred over the last few weeks. This is no one's fault." He was looking at me when he said that. "This was bound to happen, again." This surprised me, they never mentioned a previous attempt at revolt. "The Volturi are too strong. Their powers combined, made it impossible for anyone to fulfill their plans. Many have tried. You know how they deal with unruly vampires. Often, if a mate survives, they begin to spread their disapproval and build up a faction to go up against the Volturi. No one has succeeded. I don't want to put any of you in danger. I would not choose to go up against the Volturi, unless they specifically came after one of us." Once again, I thought I saw him looking at me when he said that. "It is open for discussion."

"I'm ready to fight, if someone needs help," Emmett offered freely. Carlisle nodded, accepting his comment.

"I'm with him." Rosalie hooked her arm around Emmett's as she said that. This was a little surprising to me. Rosalie had always come across as reserved and withdrawn when it came to participating in resolving conflict. Yet here she was, boldly announcing her willingness to participate. I felt proud of her, for some reason.

"I have my reasons for wanting to go up against them, but I want to know all the risks involved first." I knew the reasons Jasper was referring to. I could feel the love he felt for Alice. This same love that would fight for her, also wanted to protect her. He didn't want to become involved in a war that we had no chance of winning.

"I'll do whatever Jasper does." Alice was looking meltingly into his eyes. I saw Carlisle close his eyes and shake his head. He admired his _children_. He recognized our increased unity. He also felt the _other_ excitement that seemed to fill the air. Now he waited for Edward and I to share our thoughts.

I was sitting next to Edward again. He looked at me as he placed the back of his hand up against my cheek and said "I will only fight if Bella needs my protection. I will fight for no other reason. The Volturi have given me several reasons to want to destroy them, but for our safety, it is not enough. Only one thing can make me stand up to them." I leaned into his hand, enjoying the touch that sent my mind and body soaring. I felt exactly the same way. I didn't have to say anything. Carlisle continued.

"Esme and I stand united, as apparently all of you do. For now, my conclusion is that we do not support this Tristan and his group. I do not wish them harm, but our family comes first. Hopefully this war does not come to our shores. We will have to stay alert for any signs that would put any of us in danger. Alice, you know what to do. We will stay here a few days, then return to Forks if all remains calm." Carlisle looked at me again. "For your sakes, I hope it remains calm."


	13. Just Imagine

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Just Imagine

Edward called Tristan to let him know what our decision was. Tristan was disappointed, but he understood our desire to protect our family. The sound of his voice when he said goodbye tore at our heartstrings. It was a final sounding goodbye, like he knew that without our help, it would not end well for them. I had to think of Edward. I had to remember all the reasons we had to continue to exist as we were, before meeting Tristan and his brother. I wondered how many people they had to fight against the Volturi. I didn't want to think about lives lost, but in the end, that was always the cost of war.

Today was the first day of classes. Edward encouraged me to attend them. I felt like it was a waste of time because I couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like if the Volturi no longer ruled. I knew that they were the force behind our shrouded existence. They enforced the laws, rather harshly, I might add. But that allowed our kind to remain hidden. I wish there was a way to know what their sincere desires and wishes were concerning our kind. I didn't like the fact that they still fed on innocent human beings. I also didn't like that they looked down on us because we choose to resist _that_ strong urge. If only all vampires could accept our _alternative_ lifestyle. We could peacefully co-exist with humans. We would still have to relocate rather frequently, but that would be a small price to pay. People move all the time.

I walked out of another class, not having heard a single word, and walked right into Edward. He stood there, leaning against the wall, smiling. I threw my arms around him, remembering those first few times Edward waited for me outside my classes at Forks High. I felt all the excitement and fluttering I felt on those days when we didn't even dare touch each other. Now, there wasn't an inch of skin on our bodies that we had not touched. We knew every part of each other, inside and out. As if he knew what I was thinking, he quickly led me to an empty classroom. He locked the door, then pushed me against it, his mouth eagerly kissing mine. I walked out a few minutes later, having paid close attention for the first time all day.

Edward was quiet in the car. "How was _your_ day?" I asked. He seemed reluctant to answer. "Edward? Are you going to tell me, or do I have to find out myself?" I was teasing, but his look told me that he wasn't pleased. That made me curious, but I still had enough respect for him to let him tell me. He remained quiet for several more minutes. He drove past the house, and pulled into a small park. There were children playing on a playground, their parents sitting around the perimeter conversing with each other. Edward came around the car and led me out to a bench under one of the trees.

"I didn't pay much attention in my classes today" he admitted. "My mind was elsewhere. At first, all I could think of was you. I was trying to imagine your first day of classes, meeting new people, learning new things. I started thinking that this is not the _real_ college experience I wanted you to have. You are not exactly the same person you were, before..." he trailed off. I knew he was feeling guilty again. That made me angry.

"Don't do this Edward. No regrets, remember? If I can accept it, then you have to, too. It's too late, there is nothing anyone can do about it. I am too happy with the way things are to stop and think about any alternative. I won't have it any other way. Please don't think about things like that again." As I said it, I felt bad. I saw sadness in his eyes. I knew his intentions were good. I saw why he didn't want me to pull this information from him. But now, my reaction was probably the exact reason he didn't want to tell me in the first place. I placed both my hands on the sides of his face. I looked him in the eyes and said "I love you more than anything else in this world. I'm sorry if I hurt you. I don't want you to feel sad anymore about things I might miss. As far as I am concerned, you have given me everything I ever want to experience. Please, be happy _with_ me." Then I kissed him, gently, because out of the corner of my eye, I saw a child had wandered near us.

We both turned to look at this child. She was probably three years old. She had straight golden brown hair that came to her elbows. A pink headband held it away from her tiny face. She looked like a porcelain doll. She stood there, her head tilted slightly to one side, staring at us. I didn't want to startle her, so I leaned away from her very slowly, as I started to smile. Edward followed my cue and did the same. She moved one of her hands up to her mouth, and stuck the tip of one of her fingers into her mouth, like she was thinking. I very quietly said "hello."

She removed her finger from her mouth, and said "hi". We waited, watching her carefully, to see if she would say or do anything else. She turned her head in the direction of the playground, and then looked back at us and asked "do you want to play with me?" I fought hard to hide my giggles as I listened to Edward's thoughts. My fearless, brave Edward was suddenly filled with fear... of a child. He had never been this close to a child. He was fascinated with her tiny features. He had hardly any idea what she meant by "play with me." I agreed with him, however, that it was probably not a good idea for us to join her on the playground.

Suddenly, a woman came rushing up beside the little girl and grabbed her wrist, looking into her face. "Don't ever do that again. I didn't see where you had gone to. Don't scare me like that." This mother had been too engrossed in her conversation with a fellow mom that she didn't notice her daughter walk away. She was just as angry at herself as she was with her daughter. She then looked up at us and froze for a few seconds, before she apologized for her daughter intruding on our space. Then she wrapped her arm very protectively around her daughter's shoulders and ushered her away swiftly, glancing back a few times at us.

I turned to Edward and exhaled forcefully to express how I felt about his last thought. He looked down at the ground as he took my hands. "Just imagine" he said, so I closed my eyes to see what it was he was thinking. I wanted to scold him for feeling sorry for me again so quickly, but as I saw the images in his mind, I softened. He saw us, at a park similar to this one, but we were laughing and running around the playground. I thought it was just the two of us, until a little child, a girl, exited from a slide and jumped into Edward's arms. He began to swing her around, her wavy golden hair flying around her head. Then I came up to them, and wrapped my arms around both of them, kissing their cheeks, and laughing with them.

I repeated to myself over and over "no regrets, no regrets" but there was a tiny ache somewhere inside me that Edward had awakened with those joyful thoughts. How I would love to have a child with Edward. He would be the perfect father, since he was perfect in everything he did. But it was not possible. It was absolutely impossible for that to happen. That is why I didn't want to think about it. Why did he have to plant those thoughts in my head? Perhaps it was something he had wanted, before. Our current lifestyle did not include that. Would we be missing some valuable lessons that can only be learned through parenthood? I guess we would never know.

Once again, our peaceful solitude was abruptly interrupted by the metallic ring of my cell phone. I answered it, hoping it was good news. I hung my head as I heard Alice's voice frantically telling us we needed to get home ASAP. We jumped back in the car and sped home.

No,I thought, we could never raise a child in this world of ours. If it were possible, which I know it isn't, and as beautiful and perfect as this child would be, coming from Edward, I would not subject a child to this life, at least while the Volturi exist. I started to wonder, again, just how different it could be _without_ the Volturi.


	14. Reconsiderations

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Reconsiderations

We rushed into the house to find Alice sitting on the couch, looking very tense. We were surprised that she was alone. I sat down next to her, and she lay her head on my shoulder. I turned to look at Edward, wondering what she was thinking. Edward and I both stiffened as we saw what she had seen. Demetri and Felix were here, as well as two other intimidating looking vampires. They came to find Tristan and Trevor. We knew Demetri's gift is what allowed them to be found so quickly.

"Alice, where are the others?" I asked. She lifted up her head and pointed through the back window. They had gone hunting. They wanted to have enough strength, to do whatever we needed to do, to protect ourselves. As far as Alice knew, Demetri and Felix had no issue with us. However, if they sense that we had been talking with Tristan, they might assume, even hope, that we were involved.

I closed my eyes, trying to forget the image of Felix in my head. The thought of him here, near my family, made me want to...destroy him. I remember how eager he was to try and hurt Edward when he was trying to protect me in the castle turret. I saw his disappointment when Aro let us go. I remembered the anger Edward felt, and the fear I felt when we heard him call "dibs" on me. I could feel the anger festering inside me as all these memories came back. Edward was very quiet, watching me.

"Bella, I know what you're thinking. I see the pain in your face, and your body. We will be alright. I won't let anything happen to you. They would never come up against _all_ of us." As he said this, I got an idea.

"You're right Edward, they would not come up against _all_ of us. They wouldn't have a chance. So, why... can't we... go on the offensive?" Both Edward and Alice's faces were filled with complete shock at what I had just said. "I don't mean to alarm you, but I've been thinking about this for a little while now, and I want to reconsider helping Tristan. Or, at least, find out what his chances are. We don't know how many people he has to fight with him. We don't know what their plan is, if they have one. Maybe it is time to... make changes." I sat there, painfully waiting to know what they thought of my plan.

Alice smiled. She was proud of my brave idea. Edward, on the other hand, was sad that I was so eager to join a useless cause, because that is what he thought it was. The back door flew open , and in walked the rest of the family. Carlisle came straight to Alice, and sat beside her. I made room so Jasper could sit on the other side.

"Any news, Alice?" he asked.

"Not from any visions, but Bella has something she'd like to share." Everyone turned to look at me. I glared at Alice for putting me on the spot. Edward stood up, and took a few steps away from the couch. I could tell he didn't want me to share my plan. But I had to.

"I was just telling them that I want to reconsider joining forces with Tristan. _They've_ arrived on our shores," I looked at Carlisle when I said that, "and when _they_ find Tristan, they will know we were there, and they will have every reason to believe that we are against them. They will notify the others and then... we will have no chance to win. However, right now we outnumber them. We could eliminate two quite powerful members of the Volturi court." They were all caught off guard by my bold proposal. Emmett was the first to laugh as he came over and and pat my back a few times.

"That's my girl! I'm with Bella!" I smiled up at him, grateful I had one supporter for now. I looked at Edward, and he was frowning. I turned back to face Carlisle. I could see he was concentrating on what I had just said. He began to nod his head.

"Bella is right. You never stop surprising me. But you are right, as soon as they know that you spoke with Tristan and his brother, they will launch a full attack on us. It will not end well." He closed his eyes, struggling with his next words. "We must unite with Tristan to eliminate these four messengers, before they can cause an alarm about us. Alice, what do you see?" Carlisle was in charge. His decision was final. I was afraid to look at Edward again, so I was surprised when I felt his hand on my neck. I finally looked up to see a faint smile on his lips, his way of telling me he was okay.

As Alice focused on Felix, I felt the vision coming. They were getting closer to the house where Tristan and Trevor had taken Jen. Tristan was on the phone, then they rushed out the back and headed for the mountains. We met them in the mountains, not too far from here. When the vision ended, I turned to Edward and told him to call Tristan, and tell them to get out of there and meet us near the waterfall. He did as I asked. Jasper, in the meantime, was coming up with a plan of attack.

We all discussed our parts. As dangerous as this task could be, I was thrilled to finally be a part of the action. Emmett wanted most of the direct contact, but Edward quickly called "dibs" on Felix. He looked at me and winked when he did. Emmett and Jasper argued over who would get Demetri. Emmett won. Jasper was left with one of the guards. Carlisle agreed to take the remaining guard. Alice and I would use our clever forethought to distract and confuse them. We would instruct the two brothers to do the same.

"What am I going to do?" Rosalie blurted out. We had not included her in our plan, yet. I had an idea.

"Rose, you will be a distraction just standing nearby. You don't have to lift a finger, all you have to do is stand there and smile." Her beauty would distract any being, human and vampire alike. She smiled proudly, glad she could contribute. Although, I saw her eyes squint a little, as if she were realizing her part was not that great, but it gave her something to do. Her eyes softened again, accepting her part without complaint.

I realized there was one person we had not thought of. Esme. As far as I was concerned, I didn't want Esme to be a part of it. She was our mother, we needed to do everything in our power to protect her. Carlisle saw me looking at her. He was about to speak, but Esme lifted her hand, to stop him so she could speak.

"I will do whatever is needed. I will be there, watching, warning, observing. When I see a need, I will fill it." She spoke with power, wisdom, and love. We all fell silent, with awe. I saw Carlisle wrap his arm more snugly around her waist. He was looking at her, his eyes filled with love. I turned to look at Edward, and he was admiring their tender moment also.

We were all united for this cause. I understood, now, the confidence that they all felt in the other situations when I was so afraid for them. I remembered my frustration when they spoke so excitedly about fighting against the army of young vampires who came down from Seattle. Now, as I have learned and accepted this vampire existence, with all of it's amazing possibilities, I finally understood where the confidence came from. We had each other.

It was almost time to go and meet Tristan and Trevor. Edward came and took my hand and led me to the back door. "Let's quickly get something to eat. We'll need the extra strength." I understood, this was very practical. When we entered the trees, Edward grabbed me suddenly, and pushed me up against a tree. His eyes were frantic. I searched his mind to know the cause behind his look. His thoughts were erratic and intense. He was worried about me being involved in this fight. He was excited to get back at Felix. He was afraid we were too late, and the Volturi knew about us. He didn't want anyone in the family to get hurt. He wanted to believe we could change things. He wanted to live a long time with me, in relative peace, so he was entertaining the idea of a world without the Volturi.

"You have no idea what you have started." He sounded so serious. I was afraid he was angry with me. "I will be brave, like you, now." Then he kissed me, so passionately, I was weak in the knees, and I felt dizzy. He stopped and just laughed. "I love you, too much." We both turned and ran to fuel up.


	15. Cooperation

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Co-operation

We all ran up the mountain to the waterfall. Edward was on one side of me, and Alice was on the other. We figured that if she had a vision, we would double our chances of being prepared if we both saw it. Tristan and Trevor were close by. We slowed down as we approached the falls, and then only Edward and I proceeded forward to meet them. Tristan stood slightly in front of Trevor, again. That protective stance was something I knew well. Edward has had many occasions to stand like that. Even now, when I don't need it, he continues to be protective. I could see that Tristan shared the same quality.

"I didn't think we'd see you again." Tristan started. "Thank you for the warning. How exactly did you know?" I was curious as to why he didn't hear about Alice, if he heard about Edward and myself. Edward answered.

"My sister, Alice, has that gift. It comes in handy." Edward neglected to mention that I shared her gift when she was near, but I knew he didn't want everyone knowing what my gifts were.

"We know Felix and Demetri. When you told me who was coming, I thought for sure, we were done. What made you change your mind? I mean, to help us?" I could hear both fear and gratitude in his voice.

I saw that Edward's first thought was that it was their fault for getting us involved. I saw him clenching his fists, although his face remained calm. I interrupted "I talked them into helping. I do not agree with the ways the Volturi rule, so I thought this would be a good time to make a stand. By the way, exactly _how many_ are making a stand with us?" I saw Edward's relief as I took over the conversation, and that I was getting some important information from them.

Tristan looked at Trevor. I could tell that they were communicating with each other. Edward listened to them, and I to him. They were counting up the people they knew would be helping. We were surprised to see the numbers. We wondered how they were able to get that considerable amount of people to support this cause.

Tristan turned to us and said "there are between thirty-five and forty of us. We do not meet together often, because we do not want to draw attention to ourselves. Like you, we've learned to survive on wildlife. We found others who live the same way. We remain in our small groups of two to three people. We have a few people who are trusted within the castle. They feed us information about the Volturi. This is how we learned about you. We heard that you can read people's thoughts, and that you," he looked at me, "are immune to their powers. We also heard of your special relationship, one that required the greatest self-control of all. We knew only a love that strong and pure could exist in genuinely good beings. We heard that they allowed you to live with the promise of becoming a vampire. You chose this life." He was not asking me, he was stating it.

"How do you communicate with one another? And how do the ones you trust within the castle remain inconspicuous?" Edward was curious.

"Believe it or not, disposable cell phones. We are spread throughout Europe. We leave notes and messages in designated areas, with important information written in code. It has worked well, so far. The ones within the castle have the gift of blending in and being forgettable. They know to stay as far away from Aro as possible. We know that one slight brush against his skin, and all our plans will be ruined." Tristan waited in case Edward had more questions. Then I saw his eyes look past us. The others were approaching slowly. Edward smiled, then turned around and beckoned them to come closer.

"Tristan, Trevor, I'd like you to meet our family. Carlisle and Esme, Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice." There was relief in their smiles as they looked at our family. I thought they were a beautiful sight. I watched as Trevor looked at each person, but his eyes looked down momentarily when he came to Rosalie. I'm sure he didn't want to be caught staring at her right in front of Emmett.

Alice skipped forward first and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Alice. I'm the finicky seer." They shook her hand and chuckled at her introduction. "This is Jasper, he's plain moody." Jasper had approached and stood next to her. Their brows furrowed as they tried to make sense of that.

Emmett came forward, laughing at Alice, and playfully slapped them on their shoulders. "Nice to meet you. Thanks for bringing the party home!" They nodded, but their faces still looked confused. Then the confusion left and it looked like the wind had been knocked out of them. Rosalie was walking towards them, gliding gracefully over the rocks. Emmett watched her, then teased "Aw Rose, did you have to do that to them?", then he grabbed her around her waist and kissed her cheek. "This is Rosalie. You can look, but you can't touch." His face broke out into a huge grin as he said it. I could see Tristan and Trevor start to breathe again. The last to approach were Carlisle and Esme.

"We are here to help. We want to protect our family and decent vampires everywhere. This will not be easy, I hope you are prepared for the long haul. Jasper will give you instructions about how this is going to work. This is Esme, my wife." Carlisle had gently pulled Esme by the hand to stand slightly in front of him. She looked at Tristan and Trevor with sadness, and admiration. They lost their parents in a horrendous manner, and yet they have done the best they could to make this existence tolerable. She looked at them as a mother would look upon her sons. Trevor turned away from her gaze. I could see he was touched. She reached out and put her hand on his face. He tensed up briefly, then relaxed and leaned into her hand. Tristan reached his arm around his shoulder. It was a tender moment. Esme was filling a void in their now parent-less lives.

My head shot towards Alice as we saw what was coming. "Everyone, to your places. They are very near." Edward announced this in a whisper. "Tristan, Trevor, follow Jasper and he will explain. Bella, come with me." We walked up to the face of the mountainside, then turned and waited. I grasped Edward's hand in anticipation of seeing _them_ again. Edward whispered "they have sent the other two around a different way. They have picked up our scents. Be prepared, they are not happy." I held my breath, out of habit.

They emerged from the trees, two darkened figures, wearing their cloaks. Their faces glowed from beneath their hoods. Their eyes, like rubies, glistened with anger and anticipation. We heard one of them start to chuckle, void of merriment, simply sinister. Felix. He removed his hood to reveal his now smiling face. The same face that was ready to pounce at Edward when he nearly attacked Jane at the castle. He was glad to see us, glad to confirm that we were in on this. Demetri was scanning the area. He did not appear as confident as Felix. Probably, because he knew how many of us there were nearby.

"Edward, Bella, always a pleasure." Felix's voice, like honey, seethed with venom. He was looking very closely at me. Taking in the reality that I was one of them now. Edward shifted his body to hide me from his penetrating stare. Felix scoffed. I heard the low growl building in Edward's chest. Felix, hearing it too, turned his eyes from me, and focused on Edward. "Now, now, is that how you greet old friends?" Edward's growl increased, so I grabbed both of his wrists and held him. Felix saw me and started to laugh. "I see how it is. It's a pity. You had so much potential."

I quickly whispered to Edward that the longer we stood here, Demetri was determining exactly where everyone was located. He would have that advantage if we gave him more time. Edward responded and surprised me by calling out to some of the others. "Tristan, Trevor, Jasper, and Emmett. Please come out." They all emerged from different areas of the woods. Felix and Demetri looked around, trying to hide the fear they now felt seeing that we outnumbered them. "We will do something _you_ would never do... give you a choice. Your way, is not the only way. We are proof of that. Choose now." Felix started to tremble, I thought it was fear, but instead he began to laugh. Just then, the two guards emerged from a different direction, and headed towards us.

Edward, of course, had the advantage of knowing exactly what they were thinking. "You've made your choice. It begins now." As soon as the words came out of Edward's mouth, there was a flurry of flashes. It was happening so quickly, I simply stood there, my jaw dropped.


	16. Scuffle

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Scuffle

It was hard to believe how quickly everyone moved. The growls and snarling were ear shattering. I saw that the rest of the family had emerged from their concealed places. My eyes, of course, focused on one person. When I blocked out the sounds, it could have been a dance I was watching. So graceful and lithe were the movements of these teeth baring beings, it seemed incredible to think they were going for the kill. Edward's back was to me most of the time. He was an impenetrable wall of protection. I could hear Felix taunting Edward, describing what he wanted to do to me. I was ready to attack him, too, but I could hear Edward thinking that I had better not do anything silly.

I looked around and saw that the others were faring well. The guard Carlisle was paired with was in pieces. Esme decided she couldn't just stand by and watch him fight, so she decided to help him end it quickly. Jasper was doing really well, too. His guard was armless, and legless at this point. Alice had distracted the guard so that Jasper could attack without being countered. They were smiling at each other, proud of their teamwork. Emmett was having a little _too much_ fun with Demetri. Rosalie was doing a fine job drawing Demetri's attention away just long enough that Emmett could remove a chunk of him. Piece by piece, Demetri disappeared. It looked too easy. I didn't get to do anything.

Everyone gathered near Edward as only Felix was left. The fear in him seemed to be driving him wild. His eyes darted around at each person, watching for any sign of movement. He did not realize that they would not interfere with this fight. This was between him and Edward. I saw Edward fight for me once before. All I could think of, then, was his safety. Yet, I remember being in awe watching his beautiful, graceful, movements. Even when he tore Victoria's head off, all I could think about was whether he was okay or not. This time, I felt all those things, but I didn't worry for him. I watched, confident of his success. I could see and feel the anger Edward was feeling as Felix kept looking past him to glare at me. I walked up and joined the semi-circle everyone had formed around Felix.

"What is it with you?" he hissed at me. "What spell have you cast to turn perfectly good vampires into pathetic, subservient creatures? He," he glanced at Edward briefly, "had a bright future with us, until you came along. You and your _smell_, your wickedly addictive fragrance that has driven him mad, to the point of destruction. And the others," he looked at everyone in the group with disgust, "weakened by their _love_ for him. And for what?" His nose crinkled, and his mouth puckered as he looked me up and down. "Nothing. Aro was so disappointed to hear that your immunity had dried up with your blood. Jane, on the other hand, was beside herself with glee as she recounted your screams. It's too bad she didn't come. I would have loved to see that!"

"Enough." Edward's command silenced Felix. I was surprised to see Edward smiling, after hearing everything Felix had said. "You're right. Bella is not important... to you. You will never understand the power she has. You would not recognize it because you have never felt it. Love. You think it is weak. You know nothing. It is what makes this existence worth living. All you do it take, yet the emptiness consumes you. You are nothing but a shell, a cavernous rock on the verge of ruination. I would spare you if I could find one reason at all in your mind, but to no avail. This is the end."

Edward pounced with lightening speed at Felix. The words must have distracted him just enough that Edward was on top of him before he could react. Edward's mouth was next to his neck, about to tear, when he whispered into his ear "by the way, Bella was faking it with Jane." Felix's eyes bulged with fury right before his decapitation. Emmett jumped in to help break up the rest of the corpse. I stood still, grateful that we were all safe. A little disappointed that I didn't participate much. I saw Jasper smiling. I could feel the elation emanating from everyone here. This part was over. Everyone helped gather the pieces, then Edward came over and handed me the butane lighter. "Do you want the honors?" he asked me, smiling. I took it and watched with relief as the flames grew and consumed these enemies of mine.

This part was over. It was not the war I had expected. It was just a scuffle. Probably the first in many we will see as we chip away at the minions to reach the leaders. I was relieved when Edward came and wrapped his arms around me. We stood in our embrace for a while, watching the fire, to make sure it was contained. I looked around and smiled at everyone. Each pair of people I love. And some new friends. I had forgotten that Tristan and Trevor were here. I wasn't even sure if they had a chance to participate in the fight because it went so quickly. Edward looked over at them too, and smiled. Edward saw that these brothers were amazed and grateful for what we had done. They were also hopeful, that together, we could actually make a difference. Their hopes included reuniting with some girls, vampires, who they had feelings for. I was happy knowing they had each other, but even more excited that they would have companions, too.

Carlisle spoke up, bringing my reverie to a stop. "I'm glad to see we are all safe. However, we are going to have to move quickly now, before they start wondering what happened to their most trusted envoys. Surely they report back regularly, so as soon as they miss one, they will be alarmed. Alice, Bella, keep a close eye on them. Tristan, is there any way for you to contact your friends in the castle to determine where everyone is?" All eyes turned to Tristan, but I interrupted, drawing their attention back to me.

"Actually, Aro and Marcus are in Volterra. Caius is with his entourage somewhere in Europe, it looked like France." Everyone looked shocked. Alice stepped forward, looking really confused. It suddenly dawned on me why. "No, Alice, I didn't have a vision. It was while Demetri was... here, I saw where they all were." Her face relaxed as she understood. Tristan and Trevor, however, were the only two who looked baffled. I looked at Edward, wondering what I should say, if I should say anything. Edward was thinking that we could trust them, now.

"Bella is more _special_ than we have let on. She shares other's powers. Not always, but when they are near her. Not the mind reading though, although, she can read mine, so in a way, she sees everything I can see." Edward was looking at me with love and admiration as he spoke. Tristan and Trevor had to pick their jaws up off the ground. The others were laughing at their reaction.

"No wonder you all are drawn to her. That is incredible." Tristan meant it as a compliment, but Edward did not take it so.

"That is not true! Even if Bella had no gifts, no powers, she would still be the most important thing in my life." Edward's voice stayed controlled, but the tone caused Tristan to take a step back.

"I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry." I could see he meant it, not out of fear, but respect.

Edward sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I know you meant no harm. I just... the things Felix said... I'm sorry. But you should know, everything I do, is for Bella. She is the reason I am here. I hope you see that _she_ is the reason any of us is here." He was looking around at his family. Tristan nodded, understanding. "Let's go."

As we walked down the mountain, Carlisle came over to walk next to Edward and I. "Bella, I have a question. When you saw where everyone was, through Demetri, did you by any chance see where Jane was?" I stopped and closed my eyes, to prevent myself from shuddering.

"She and Alec were on a plane. I didn't pay much attention to them, I didn't want to think about her. I'm sorry." Of all the people we would have to face, she is the one I didn't like the most. Only because I knew what she could do to Edward. Alice had come over and was standing next to me. I looked at Alice, worried I missed something important, but she just grabbed my hands, closed her eyes and concentrated. We saw them sitting on a plane, holding hands like two children in love. My brows furrowed thinking of the irony. We saw them arriving at an airport, then getting on another plane. We saw the marquee announcing where the plane was headed. Our eyes shot open.

I turned to Edward, grabbed his hand, and started to pull him down the mountain running. The rest of the group followed. He was squeezing my hand, telling me in his mind that we would get back there in time. Why did it seem like all the big trouble I had, always led me back to Forks? This place was a mystery to me. My best, and worst experiences happened there. My life began there, and it seemed that fate was determined to have my existence end there. I had to return, to protect those I loved, family and friends alike. I think I am ready to face _her_ again.


	17. Jane

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Jane

The first thing I did was call Jacob. I warned him that more vampires would be arriving soon. I told him about Jane and I could hear the excitement in his voice as he anticipated another vampire confrontation. Once on the plane, I was going crazy trying to figure things out. We had only seen the two arriving, but we couldn't be absolutely sure. Something didn't seem right about Jane and Alec traveling alone to Forks. I could sort of understand if Jane were feeling confident because she was under the impression that I was no longer immune to her powers, but she would have to be extremely over confident to come to our home, clearly outnumbered.

Why would they come so unprotected? They were on their way before they could know that we were now involved in this mutinous affair. Unless, they found out about it from someone on the inside. But then, they definitely would arrive with more people. But why come to Forks? The last time she came, we were up north, and she knew exactly where to find us. Surely she knew we were in New Hampshire, attempting to go to school. It was all so puzzling. Edward squeezed my hand to remind me he was there. I leaned over and kissed him on the neck, then left my head against his shoulder. I relaxed a little now, smelling Edward's heavenly scent. Someone picked up my other hand. I turned my head to see Alice crouching next to my seat.

"Bella, I have to talk to you, or maybe show you." She grabbed both my hands and we stared into each other's eyes. I started to see brief flashes of different vampires. They were all traveling, but using different modes of transportation. We'd see one on a boat, one in a car, one on a motorcycle, and even one swimming. There was no indication of where they were headed, but we knew. It felt planned. They knew not to make definite plans, they just moved from point to point, getting closer and closer to their final destination. I just hoped we got there before they did. Edward was paying close attention to our vision, also convinced that these vampires were heading to Forks.

"As soon as we arrive, you need to call Jacob again and give him an idea of how many to expect. I hope they are willing to be our allies again." Alice shook her head marveling that Edward spoke so calmly about the werewolves. I smiled at Edward, appreciating the same thing. I dreamed that this kind of peace could exist between them, and now it did. Edward reached out and lifted my chin so he could kiss me. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to be swept away into his deliciousness. I stopped only when I heard Emmett laughing and mocking us with smacking, kissing sounds. I turned to look at him and glared. He winked then returned his attention to Rosalie. I was actually grateful for the distraction.

We arrived as quickly as I could hope for. It was easier once Edward distracted me with kisses and more. Carlisle's car was still parked at the airport, so we got a rental to transport the rest of us back to the house. I noticed that Tristan and Trevor were quiet for most of the flight, and now as we drove home. I looked at Edward to find out what they were thinking. I smiled as I listened to the kind thoughts they were having. They were so grateful to have found a coven, no, a family, that stood united, and loved each other, and supported each other. They were amazed at the gifts we had, and they recognized them in each of us. Some gifts were more obvious, others were subtle, but powerful. Esme, for example, her gift to be sensitive, and caring, and to give love so freely. Trevor, in particular, appreciated that gift. Tristan admired Carlisle's leadership, and the respect he gave everyone. It reminded him of his father. They found something good in each of us, and they grew more confident and trusting the longer they were with us.

As soon as we arrived at the house, I wanted to call Charlie, but Edward convinced me that I wouldn't want him coming around the house while the _others_ might be around. Of course, I wasn't thinking straight. I was anxious to see him, but I didn't want to put him in the path of danger. I called Jacob to let him know what we saw. When I got off the phone, I was smiling and giddy with pleasure. I was so pleased to announce that one of our unknown visitors was no more. Apparently, the vampire who chose to swim to our shores, landed on the wrong one. Of all the beaches along the shoreline, he swam up to First Beach. A few of the boys from the pack happened to be in the area, playing. They were more than happy to destroy this unwelcome visitor. Everyone shared the pleasure of that information, except Tristan and Trevor who were confused.

"I guess we should tell you, we have some very unlikely allies. Werewolves." Edward was straightforward. The astonishment on their faces was spectacular. They looked at each other, trying to comprehend and believe what they were hearing. Edward and I smiled as their deliberation commenced doubtfully, then resolved with the acceptance of the existence of werewolves. The deciding factor was the fact that they, themselves, were vampires. A creature they once thought to be fictitious. From that point, it wasn't much of a stretch to believe in werewolves. Once they accepted it, I explained briefly our relationship with this particular pack. The wonder in their eyes as I rushed over the details amused everyone.

"Your best friend is a werewolf?" Tristan's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"At one time, yes. We are still... friends. It is harder now, that I am a... _vampire_." I looked at Edward. "I have a best friend. The best one could ever hope for." Edward stepped closer and wrapped his arm tightly around my waist. Tristan's eyes glanced toward the ground. He felt a reverence for the love he could see and feel emanating from us. Edward looked down at me, smothering and sweet. We enjoyed this brief moment, before Alice cleared her throat as warning.

"They'll be here shortly. There are only five now." She smiled, remembering what happened to the sixth. "They don't appear to be threatened." She looked at Edward to see if he had anything to add. He looked like he was concentrating. He was trying to focus on Jane's thoughts. He began to shake his head slowly, with incredulity. I shook my head too, as I heard what he was hearing. He spoke slowly.

"They do not know that we are involved, yet. They have come... to ask for our assistance." He let out a heavy sigh. Everyone now shared the same look of incredulity. "They have become aware of small stirrings, vampires being too secretive, and rumors starting to float around about a new dawn coming soon. They are trying to protect themselves by getting us involved. Next to them, we are the largest coven that exists. They want us to join them... or else." The silence was heavy.

"Or else! I vote for or else!" Emmett sure knew how to break the tension. Some of us smiled at his knee jerk reaction. He looked at Tristan and Trevor, who were starting to look a little worried and said "don't worry boys, we're still on your side." He winked, and grinned, making them relax and smile, too.

Edward felt grateful for Emmett's attitude. He turned to the brothers and said "this might sound ridiculous, but perhaps you should hide." We knew their scents would give them away, but we hoped it would give us a little time to talk to _Jane and company_. Tristan and Trevor quickly disappeared. The rest of us stood together, all facing the front door. I quickly glanced around at our family, being consumed with love, again. I also noticed that, once again, I ended up in the safest spot, the center.

The door opened slowly. A short chuckle escaped my lips when I saw them. Three huge towering vampires standing behind two short, youthful looking vampires. They weren't too intimidating, but they must be good at what they do, or they would not have come with so few. It got me wondering. Was Jane the Volturi's secret weapon? Did they rely on her power to incapacitate other vampires so the ones with brute strength could then attack? Has anyone every gotten close enough to Jane to inflict injury on her? Then I noticed Alec. Who was he? They could be brother and sister, but some of their _actions_ would prove otherwise. While I was lost in my thoughts, they had approached until they were a few feet in front of us.

Jane's face twitched side to side, as if searching for a scent that was elusive. I stiffened, thinking she had already caught the brother's scents. But she stopped moving her head, smiled at Alec, then turned to face us, smiling like an angel. "So good to see you all again. I bring greetings from Aro, and Marcus." The sweetness in her voice oozed like honey. "I'd like to introduce my brother, Alec, for those of you who haven't met him." Ew, was all I could think. Alec had stepped forward, as if to greet everyone formally with a handshake. Edward surprised me by stepping in front of me.

"Hello, Jane. We didn't think we'd see you so soon. What brings you to our humble home, this time?" I could see Edward was trying to remain in control of his voice.

Her lips curled up in a smile, but her eyes narrowed. "Why Edward, you of all people should know." Edward remained in front of me. I peeked around to see Alec, who was still standing directly in front of Edward, extend his hand towards me. Edward reached forward and grabbed his wrist. I saw Edward's body contort slightly when he touched him. I wanted to push Alec away, thinking he was hurting Edward, but Jasper held me back.

"Jane. Would you please explain your presence?" Carlisle had interrupted, speaking with authority, breaking her focus on Edward. I saw Edward straighten up and release Alec's arm so Alec could step back. I frantically searched Edward's mind to find out what happened. Alec didn't cause Edward pain, it was Jane. However, I was surprised to find out why Alec had extended his arm to me. Edward was correct in assuming, after our last encounter with Jane, that she suspected I was not as gift-less as I pretended to be. Alec had a gift, too. Although, it was limited, as Aro's gift is, to touch. He could recognize gifts. If he had touched me, he would have known immediately what all my gifts were. I unconsciously stepped back. Edward moved at the same time, keeping the same proximity to me.

Jane watched us, suspiciously. Then her face straightened out and returned to looking angelic. "Aro, and Marcus would like to extend an invitation to your cov... _family_, to join us in Volterra. Just for a season, to become reacquainted." If I didn't know what she was capable of, it would have been a welcome invitation. However, we knew they had ulterior motives.

"What about Caius? Does he share the same feeling?" Carlisle didn't miss anything. "We would not want to interfere." Jane's face dropped. Edward and I were shocked to hear what she thought for a brief second. Caius was upset with the others for seeking help from us. He didn't think they needed it. He left on an extended... _vacation_. I saw a glimmer of hope in Edward's mind when he saw that they were divided. I felt that hope, too. But first, we had to take care of Jane.


	18. Sweet Revenge

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Sweet Revenge

Jane was quiet, trying to figure out how to answer Carlisle. She shot a look in Edward's direction, knowing she couldn't hide anything from us now. She finally spoke. "Caius had some issues to deal with, so he is away for a time. Please don't let that affect your decision to _join_ us." Her words, with their double meaning, was making me angry. "So, can we count on you?" She was speaking to Carlisle, knowing Edward was on to her. "We'd like you to come as soon as possible," she added trying to rush his decision. I knew Carlisle was wiser than that.

"We would need to make a decision, together. There are many things to consider." Carlisle maintained his voice of leadership. During the brief silence that followed, we heard a faint sound in the distance, like someone had bumped their arm or head against a door. All eyes flew up the stairs towards the rooms. I could see the three thug-looking vampires extending their noses to try and get a better smell. Their faces were getting excited with anticipation. Jane looked back at us, her head moving deliberately side to side.

"You seem to have visitors. Shouldn't they be introduced?" her voice was melodic, but dark. Tristan, hearing the tone of her voice, did not wish to evoke her fury upon us, so he and Trevor emerged from one of the bedrooms. As they walked cautiously down the stairs, Jane's eyes seemed to glow brighter with the growing rage within her. I could hear the growls increasing from the guards who were now slowly sinking into crouches. Jane held up her hand, and the sounds quieted, but they remained in their ready stance. 

"I am surprised, but not really. It appears you have already made your choice." Jane spoke plainly. "It really is a pity, you could have been so useful." Her thoughts betrayed her. Edward snickered.

"You had no intention of ever bringing us back to your masters. They would have been _so_ disappointed. It's a good thing that you won't have to face them, ever again." Jane tried to maintain her calm facade, but that was too much. Fear crossed her face, for the first time since she discovered her _gift_. She reached over and took Alec's hand. They looked like innocent children, who had just been punished. The three guys behind them, however, looked like the vicious, murderous vampires that they were.

The growling shook the walls of the house. I couldn't see clearly because Edward had forced me backwards and was nearly on top of me. One of the guards launched himself at Tristan and Trevor. He was knocked out of the air by Alice who had seen it coming. The explosion made me think Alice could have been hurt, but I saw her standing on the stairs, smiling. Another guard pounced towards Carlisle, attempting to take out the leader. Emmett was there to knock him out of the way. The third guard was crouched next to Jane, waiting for something. I saw Jane's eyes turn and focus on Jasper. As soon as they locked on him, his body crumpled and he let out a yelp as the pain engulfed him. The third guard pounced on top of him the second he was down. I closed my eyes, fearing the worst, as I heard a tearing sound. I heard a scream at the same time, but I didn't recognize that scream. I opened my eyes, hesitantly. The relief I felt almost knocked me over. Jasper was fine and Alice held him in her arms, cradling him like a child. The guard's body lay twitching on the side, devoid of a head. The scream came from Jane. She had never faced such capable adversaries. She tried to lock on to others, but there were too many of us. When one person was down, writhing in pain, two more were attacking and protecting that person. She started to tremble when she noticed that all the guards were in pieces.

Edward and I stood as everyone gathered together again. "Have you seen enough?" It sounded like Edward was giving her a chance. She and Alec remained still. I wondered what Alec was thinking. His face did not show any emotion. He really looked like a cherubic statue. I imagined him holding a bow and arrow, like a picture of cupid I had seen. My giggle escaped, drawing everyone's attention. Jane's eyes closed until they were slits.

Amidst this chaos, I was in a chipper mood. I knew what she was doing, or trying to do. I let out a scream and brought my forearm up to my head like I was in pain. I saw Edward's face wince, then relax. My scream turned into laughter. Softly, then gradually increasing in depth and resonance. I watched Jane's face contort with shock and unbelief. I saw Alec react for the first time since they arrived. Fear finally found it's way into him. He was probably so used to Jane protecting him all the time. I actually felt sorry for him.

I saw Jane's shoulders rise and fall with deliberation. She realized she couldn't touch me, so she did the next best thing. She looked at Edward. When Edward fell to the ground, I saw everyone else fall into their attack stance. I held my arms up to stop them. I did not want to resort to this, but she left me no choice. I looked at Jane and imagined her in pain... great, intense, unending pain. Her eyes bulged and her small frame began to convulse as she dropped to the floor. I did not stop. Edward had recovered and was standing next to me again. Everyone watched her with mixed feelings. Edward softly placed his hand on my shoulder. I felt different, I was enjoying this. At the same time, I felt guilt for enjoying it. I kept thinking about the many times she inflicted this same pain on my loved ones. I wanted her to disappear. I never wanted to see her again.

"Bella. I'm fine, now." Edward's voice pulled me from my dark thoughts. I broke my stare, and turned to look at him with regret and shame. He just pulled me into his tight embrace. I squeezed back. Alec helped Jane up and they stood there empty and defeated. "Leave. You are no longer welcome here." They turned and walked out of the house.

Everyone looked at Edward like he was crazy. I knew what he was thinking, so I just smiled. Alice started clapping, and jumping in place. "Good idea, good idea!" she was shouting. Everyone else waited for the punchline.

"I didn't want to deprive our allies of a little action today. They are very excited." When Edward finished his sentence, we heard growls in the distance, followed by howling. Edward turned to me, smiling, and said "it's over."


	19. Caution

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Caution

Everyone worked together to gather all the pieces and to take them far out into the meadow so we could dispose of them properly. I wasn't feeling quite myself, just yet. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits and I tried to smile to show them that I was happy, too. But the reality was, I was feeling alienated. Once again, Edward protected me from all the violence. I have not so much as scratched another vampire. The only thing I have done to help is inflict some mental pain on Jane. I closed my eyes thinking about that. I guess I was helping, in a way. I was picturing her lying there on the floor, her body writhing, short squeals of pain escaping her lips. I opened my eyes before I could remember how much I enjoyed it. Too late. A feeling of power and control flooded me. My mind was telling me that I destroyed Jane. No one has been able to touch her, but I got to her. I got into her head and gave her a taste of her own medicine. That was not something she would forget, if she lived to remember.

"What are you thinking, Bella?" Edward's whisper brought me back again. The guilt replaced my pride immediately. I turned and hid my face in his chest. At that moment, I was grateful that Edward could not read my thoughts. What was happening to me? I didn't realize how close I was standing to the fire. We took a few steps back. "Are you... okay?" He sounded very concerned. How do I explain?

"Can we go somewhere?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Anywhere you like." He answered, grateful I was speaking.

"I don't think I can put into words the things that are weighing heavy on my mind right now. I want to go where I won't have to speak to you." He understood. He called Alice over and asked her for a weather update. She was looking at me, concern on her face too, as she told Edward where we could go to find sunshine. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, to reassure her that I was fine. She half smiled, grateful for my gesture, but still worried.

"Before we leave, someone would like to see you." Edward's voice gave away who that someone was. He took my hand and we started to walk towards the trees. Once under the cover of the woods, he gently pulled on my arm, so I knew to start running. We ran quite a distance. It felt great. I needed that release. I began to smile again, a real smile. Edward looked back at me and his smile finally reached his eyes when he saw me smiling. Our speed increased to match our renewed emotions. When we finally slowed, I recognized the baseball field. I scanned the area, looking for Jacob.

I saw a couple of shadowy figures under some trees on the opposite side. We walked across the field, slowly. I wondered who had come with him. "Jacob would like you to meet someone." Edward's hand squeezed mine as he said that. When I realized what he meant, I held my breath unconsciously. Then I was filled with relief and joy again, as much as when Jacob had told me that he had imprinted. I hoped I would handle this appropriately.

Jacob emerged slowly from the trees, the other figure behind him. He was holding her hand. They stopped about three yards in front of us. "Hi Bells!" Jacob sounded like himself, his normal self. "I'd like you to meet Sara." Sara inched her way out from behind Jacob. Edward slid his arm around my waist, not possessively, but lovingly. I quickly heard him say in his mind that Sara was feeling a little inadequate. Jacob, in his open and honest relationship with her, told her all about me. Like any girl would feel, she was insecure. Jacob thought it would be a good idea for her to meet me so she could realize she had nothing to worry about. Sara's eyes looked me over, then she looked over Edward, then she looked at us together. I watched as her face softened as she recognized just how safe she could now feel in her relationship with Jacob. She wrapped her arms around Jacob's waist. I saw Jacob smile, his warm, loving smile.

"It is so nice to meet you. I am very happy for you two." I meant every word. I could tell that she knew I meant it, too. I looked up at Jacob. I just nodded my head. He nodded back.

"Thank you for your help, earlier." Edward spoke to Jacob. He nodded.

"Did you find all... the pieces?" Jacob's face was puckered like he had sucked on a lemon. Edward chuckled.

"Yes. Thank you for being so thorough." I tried not to imagine that.

"We were just excited to get some. We followed their scents to your house, but of course we didn't dare enter. So we waited, hoping you would bring the fight outside. Instead, you just sent some take out." I rolled my eyes at their morbid entertainment.

"I didn't want us to have all the fun. Besides, Bella had those two half done before they even came outside." Edward was smiling proudly at me, but I felt embarrassed. Jacob's brows raised, wondering what Edward had meant.

"It was nothing" I quickly added, before he could ask. Jacob looked at me suspiciously.

"Describe nothing" he said. I closed my eyes, not wanting to tell him. Edward waited until I opened my eyes and looked at him. He asked me if he could tell Jacob. I sighed and nodded.

"Bella has a very... unique gift. She can use other's powers when they are near her. Jane had a very... _special_ power, one that caused pain in others." Edward hesitated, looking at me to make sure it was okay for him to continue. I nodded again. "She used it on Jane. It is probably the only time in Jane's existence that someone has been able to hurt her. She was nothing but an empty shell when Bella was done with her." When Edward was done speaking, I hid my face in his side. He rubbed my shoulder with his arm that was around me.

Jacob was quiet. That surprised me. After several tense moments, he asked "are you okay, Bella?" I felt Edward's arm tighten slightly at the question. I could hear the concern in Jacob's voice. I didn't want to, not here, not in front of Sara. I decided to suck it up. I looked back up and smiled at everyone.

"Some gift, huh? I didn't even get to lay my hands on her. In fact, I didn't get to lay my hands on anyone." I looked at Edward when I said that. He was startled and confused, but let it go for now. "Once again, it was nice to meet you Sara, and always nice to see you Jacob. Take care and keep in touch. We have plans to celebrate. Thank you." We waved our goodbyes, then Edward and I headed back the way we came. I glanced back and saw Jacob and Sara walking the other direction, but Jacob had looked back at the same time as I did. His face was still sad, wondering how I really felt. I turned away, hoping he would just forget.

Edward and I started running again. I was grateful. I didn't want to talk to him until we were in a sunny place. I know he had a lot of questions. I had answers, I just didn't want to voice them. I wanted to relieve myself of my concerns before we had to move forward with our bigger plans. I knew that we would have to be more cautious now that the Volturi's most trusted people were gone.

We went back and borrowed Carlisle's car. The others were discussing our next move, but they seemed to know that this was important, too. Edward was more quiet than usual. He held my hand tighter than usual, like he was afraid I'd try and run away. I was getting anxious to arrive at our sunny destination. We drove up the side of a mountain. We were near to the top when we stopped. It was beautiful up here. We could see for miles and miles all around us. The air was cooler up here, but Alice was right, the sun was shining. Edward helped me out of the car. I was looking at his handsome shimmering face. He smiled with anticipation of knowing what my thoughts were. We walked, hand in hand, up a little further, until we came to a large rock that jutted out over a precipice. We sat with our legs hanging over the edge. For a few moments, we just sat there enjoying the incredibly resplendent beauty of the earth. Then we turned and gazed into each other's eyes.

I began to think about my worries and concerns. I felt over-protected sometimes. I wanted to prove my worth as a vampire. I was ashamed that I enjoyed what I did to Jane, a little too much. I was afraid that using her power, might make me be like her. I wanted the others to start treating me like an average... vampire. No more special treatment, just another member of the family. I watched as Edward's face fell as he saw the things that were upsetting and depressing me. He reached out his hand and brushed my cheek. He was thinking about how much he loved this about me. That puzzled me.

He began to think about how each of those feelings showed my sensitivities. I was going through the classic experiences that taught us life's lessons. Pride versus humility, hunger for power, independence, self-reliance, self-preservation, acceptance, and normalcy. It was okay to have those feelings, as long as we stayed true to who we were. He knew who I was, and deep down inside, I knew who I was, too. He reassured me that I am a good person. The thoughts I was ashamed of were fleeting, they did not become a part of me. He also agreed to _try_ to give me a little more room to prove my _worth_, as I put it.

The sun was going down, so we stood up to leave. Before the last rays disappeared, I grabbed his face between my hands and kissed him with everything I had. Our minds exploded with the love and passion I felt and he returned. Overcome by sheer abandon, we ripped each other's clothes off in a split second and became one, a shining beacon atop the mountain. How I loved my Edward!


	20. Leaders

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Leaders

I tried not to think about what we had to face when we returned to the house. I wanted to remain in this state of complaisance. I played with Edward's hair as he drove slowly, he felt the same. I thought about what we must have looked like at the top of that mountain. We could easily have been mistaken for a lighthouse, if we were closer to the shore. The brightness of our bodies, when combined, magnifies and multiplies. Every sense is heightened, _every_ sense. It lingers longer, too. I nestled myself into his side, wanting his closeness, smelling his sweetness. The car slowed to a stop. I sat up quickly, thinking there was something wrong. There wasn't, Edward just wanted to feel closer too. He pulled me over onto his lap and just held me. I liked this form of intimacy as much as the other more passionate form. Both filled me with love.

We could have sat there forever, but we knew we had to get going. Now that _we_ were back on the same page, we were interested in knowing what plans the others had come up with. Edward drove quickly home. We walked in to find most of them still congregated as they were when we left. They all looked up when we entered, then looked away rather quickly. Except Alice. She was shaking her head and rolling her eyes. Then she exaggerated looking at my upper body. I glanced down to notice that most of the buttons were missing on my blouse. It was torn and ripped near the button holes. I looked over and noticed Edward's disheveled clothes. I was still too happy to be embarrassed. I grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him up the stairs to go change.

Alice yelled "I'm glad to see you happy again, Bella!" I kissed my hand and then blew on it in her direction. She reached up into the air, as if to catch it, and then pat her cheek. I shot her a smile.

We quickly changed then joined the rest of them downstairs. Tristan had been in touch with one of his contacts in Volterra. He said that there was a feeling of urgency around the castle. Aro and Marcus did not walk about as they usually did. People were also starting to notice the absence of some key figures who were usually around. There were theories floating around, causing suspicion and excitement. Jane was probably the most revered, or feared, of the Volturi, besides the main three. Felix and Demetri were next. Without their constant presence at the castle, vampires started to relax. Tristan turned to Edward, thinking about something before he spoke.

"Your gift would come in handy in determining who would be willing to join our cause. We are too close to our goal to make any mistakes. Talking to the wrong person about our plans could destroy us. Surely the Volturi are already trying to build up the number in their guard. If Aro and Marcus are concerned, they might call Caius to return. Together, they will be that much harder to defeat." Tristan looked over at Trevor. "No Trevor, it will be that much easier if they are separated." I looked over at Edward to find out what just transpired. 

Trevor was really struggling with his desire for revenge. He was still very upset by what happened to his parents. He knew who finished off his father and who finished off his mother. He saw their faces clearly in his mind. He also saw another standing nearby, with a smirk upon his face. He wanted all three of them together when we ended it.

Edward spoke up. "Tristan is right, we have a greater chance if they are apart. Hopefully Caius is oblivious to what has happened. As far as building up the guard, they will have to rely on brute strength, instead of vampires with special powers. I figured out what Alec's role was. He was there to sort out vampires. He would touch them to know what their gifts were, if they had any. They recruited the best when they could. I suppose they had intended you two to join them also?" Edward was looking at Tristan and Trevor. Trevor looked down at the ground. Tristan closed his eyes and nodded.

"Yes, they invited us to join them. Somehow, I was able to ask for a little time to help Trevor get over his resentment first. I assumed that because of his age, they allowed it. As soon as we had a chance, we left. We were surprised to meet others who abstained from human blood, like we did. It surprised us even more to hear the resentment they felt towards the Volturi. That is how it started. We began to try and figure out a way to be rid of the them." Tristan looked at Edward and I. "You two seemed to be the key to our success. Now that we know your family, I am sure of it. We are so grateful for your help. We feel confident that it will be over soon."

Carlisle stood up and walked up to Tristan. He placed his hand on his shoulder, then sighed. "We have more to worry about than just getting rid of them. It is possible, I see that now, but what happens afterwards? The Volturi have maintained the secrecy of our kind for so long. They prevented uprisings and power hungry vampires from exposing us. Who will deal with that after they are gone? We have no idea how most vampires will react to this change. We might find bigger problems afterwards. Are you prepared for that? Have you and your following thought of those things?"

I could see Tristan was stumped. We were all surprised when Trevor piped up. "You could take over. You and your family. I would follow you. I would fight for you." Carlisle's face was torn. Esme went over and put her arm around Trevor's shoulder.

"Trevor, you trust so willingly. Try to be a little more... cautious. Our involvement in this cause is selfish, I have to admit. We are protecting _our_ family. You are part of that now, if you choose. However, we do not seek to be leaders of our kind. That is more responsibility than we're willing to accept." She looked at Carlisle to confirm that they shared the same feelings. His tortured smile answered her. "We will help as much as we can, but you will need to think about a solution for a new governing body."

It was clear by the absent looks on their faces that they did not ever consider what would happen afterwards. Honestly, we had not given it much thought either. I couldn't imagine _our family_ living in Volterra, managing the affairs of vampires around the world. Although, who says the leaders have to live in Volterra? Carlisle's wisdom and kindness would make him a wonderful leader. With Esme at his side, they could guide the vampire world in a new direction. I couldn't believe I was actually entertaining these thoughts. We would still be faced with unhappy, power seeking vampires who won't stop to listen to reason. Who would manage that? Our family was not prepared for _that_ kind of leadership.

I looked over at Edward, and he was lost in thought. Emmett and Rosalie were not there when we had arrived, but they walked in now. Emmett was looking around, wondering why we all had such sombre faces. I walked over to them and quickly whispered what we had been discussing. Emmett started to grin, and I was afraid of where he was going with his thoughts. Before he could open his mouth, Edward spoke up. "It won't be that easy, Emmett. We have to be _really_ careful. We don't know what we'll be up against."

"Actually, it could work!" Everyone turned, in shock, to look at Alice, except me. I saw what she saw. 

"No! It's not a choice right now. It's too much to ask." Edward was angry.

Carlisle held up his hand. "What do you see, Alice?" Everyone waited for her answer. Edward turned his back on her, his head hanging.

"We can make a difference if we try. It will take _all_ of us, though." Alice's eyes pierced through Edward's back. She knew he could see what we saw. Why was he so against it?

I was right, Carlisle and Esme would make great leaders. We didn't live here in Forks anymore, but we weren't in the castle in Volterra either. I couldn't tell where we were, but we were all there. We each had a role in the management of vampire affairs. We had earned their respect. We taught them and gave them choices they could live with. We dealt justly with offenders. We seemed happy.

Edward walked over to me, took my hand, and led me out of the house. When we were quite a ways from the house, he turned to face me. "Bella, this is not the life I saw for us. There are still things I want you to do, experience." He was struggling to ask the next question. "How do you feel about what you saw?" I could see the conflict in his mind. He wanted to be open to my choices, but he really didn't want me to want this.

"Edward, I will do whatever you want me to do. You are always doing everything I ask. For once, I want to do what you want. Your happiness is important to me, too. Besides, you know Alice's visions can change. One small decision can alter the future. We can probably still do those things you want us to do. We have forever." When I stopped talking, Edward just encircled me in his arms and squeezed me.

"I didn't think I could love you any more, but you did it again." He kissed me, just enough to make my head spin, then he stopped and laughed. "Let's go tell the others." We ran back to the house, in a better mood than when we had left.


	21. Redirection

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Redirection

Edward and I entered the house, resolved that we would stand together in our decision. We could tell by the looks on everyone's faces that Alice had already informed them. Emmett, I think, looked the most displeased. Tristan and Trevor looked disappointed. Carlisle and Esme, on the other hand, looked somewhat relieved. Edward smiled at Carlisle, knowing that he understood why we made our decision. He respected us, and knew that we needed to do what would make us most happy. He truly had our best interests at heart.

The rest of the family weren't too upset about our decision. Jasper and Alice were content to follow either path. Rosalie didn't have a strong opinion about it. I wondered why she didn't share Emmett's feelings. Edward saw me watching Rose, so he helped me find the answer. It surprised me. Rosalie did not want to be in a position that would draw too much attention to her. She recognized this as a weakness. She knew how easily it would be for her to become obsessed with wanting attention and adoration. She has always longed for it, but it never made her happy. She had decided that she wanted to focus on other things that would bring her happiness, like developing her talents, and being with the people she loved, and who loved her for who she was. I was so impressed with her. She looked over at me and I smiled, hoping she would somehow know how I felt. She gave me a shy smile, then walked over to Emmett to comfort him.

Emmett wasn't really that upset. He had that strong desire to be in a powerful position, not for glory, but for all the action it could bring. He wanted to be an enforcer of justice. He could see himself, with Jasper at his side, calming and bringing peace to unhappy, or unruly vampires. He didn't want to use force, but he also knew there was a good possiblity that he would have to use it sometimes. He had mixed feelings about that part. Maybe he could just humor people into submission. I laughed out loud when I heard him think that. He looked over at us, suspiciously. I was thinking that he could very well do that.

"So, we still have some business to take care of. The sooner we do it, the sooner we can focus on finding people worthy to lead." Carlisle regained our attention. "If Tristan can locate Caius, through his network, we should probably start there. The last place we will go to is Volterra. It will be the most protected. Hopefully our numbers will be greater by the time we arrive there. Tristan," he was looking earnestly at him, "can you find out approximately how many are in the guard in Volterra?"

"That shouldn't be a problem, we have two of our guys in the guard. I will send them a message asap." I could see Tristan and Trevor getting more excited. It was finally going to happen. I felt very comfortable relying on our united efforts. Together, with our gifts, powers, love, and support, I was confident that we could do it. I also had a feeling that we would be able to help set up some type of governing body that could lead our vampire world. Edward slipped his arm around me. We all sort of broke away from the group as we waited to hear from Tristan's contacts in Europe.

"What would you like to do, while we wait?" his brows suggestively rising as he spoke. I rolled my eyes in response.

I faced him, hooking my finger under the front collar of his shirt, and pulled him towards me as I walked backwards. "I have an idea." I was trying to sound seductive. It must have worked because his eyes now burned with excitement. When we got outside, I ran to the car and got into the drivers seat. Edward stopped outside the car, looking puzzled. When he finally got in and sat down, I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "Let's go say hi to Charlie!" I saw the disappointment flash across his face, then a smile replaced it, knowing how happy it would make me to see my dad.

I drove like a... vampire, I was so excited to see him. We drove past the station, but his new cruiser was not there. We went by the house, and it was there, parked in the driveway. I pulled in and jumped out quickly. Edward was standing in front of me before I closed the car door. He leaned into me, pushing me against the car. His arms slid around my back. He stared into my eyes, erasing all my thoughts. I waited for him to do or say something. When he didn't, I grabbed his face between my hands and pulled it down to meet mine. I was kissing his mouth, but he was too busy smiling to kiss back. Then, finally, he responded. His lips moved with great fervor, matching mine. My hands clutched his hair, keeping his head as close to mine as possible. He was excited, very excited. I finally slowed myself down. He grudgingly slowed down too. When we separated our lips, I started to giggle.

"Why don't you go in first, I'll be in in a minute." Edward needed to calm down a little before he saw Charlie. I just laughed as I walked to the front door. I knocked and a few seconds later Charlie opened the door. It took him a second to realize and believe it was me standing there.

"Bella! Hi. What brings you home? Is everything okay? Where's Edward?..." He had more questions, but I stopped him short with a hug. He sighed and squeezed back. "I'm so happy to see you, are you alright?"

"Yes, dad, I'm fine. Edward is in the car, he'll be in shortly. How are you?" I wanted to get him talking until Edward came in and we could coordinate our story of why we were here.

"How is Dartmouth? Sounds like you are having a ball. I'm so proud of you. I hope you don't mind, I kind of talk about you all the time, to, well, just about everyone." He looked proud. I would make it all true one day.

"Dartmouth is great. I've made some new friends. Lots of excitement on campus. The scenery there is incredible. Lots of wildlife. We'll be very busy when we get back." I felt like I was being as honest as I could be. I felt relieved when I saw Charlie's eyes focus on something behind me. The smile that crept onto his face made me love him even more. Charlie stepped forward to welcome Edward in with a handshake.

"Good to see you Edward. It's great to see both of you. So, what brings you back? Didn't the term just start?"

"Yes, but we had a small family emergency. Don't worry, everything will be fine and we'll get back there soon." Edward had answered as we all slowly walked into the living room. I watched as Charlie's face showed concern.

"Is everyone alright? Who... had the emergency? I heard that Carlisle left suddenly and took emergency leave. I didn't have a chance to find out why. I figured you would have called or sent a message if there was a problem. You would let me know if someone was hurt, wouldn't you?" He seemed really worried now. Edward let me know what he was thinking. I smiled.

"Don't worry, Alice is fine." He looked startled when I said that. "I mean, everyone is fine. It's just some... relatives in Europe who are having trouble. Carlisle and Esme might be going over there to make sure everything works out. We just came to send them off. If things go well, we might join them as soon as the term is done. I can hardly wait to see Europe." That was sort of the truth. I didn't really _see_ Europe the last time I was there. Charlie seemed content with my explanations.

Edward's phone rang. He excused himself into the kitchen to answer. I saw in his mind what he was hearing. Tristan received confirmation on the location of Caius, so we would be leaving today for France. I waited until Edward came back into the room.

"Looks like we got a flight out today." Edward announced reluctantly. "I'm sorry we didn't have more time to spend with you. Don't worry, though, we'll be back." I stood up next to Edward. Charlie walked us to the door. I turned around and hugged him again. He pat Edward's shoulder and wished us good luck.

"Study hard! Don't let yourself get caught up in all the distractions of college life." He yelled out his advice as we got into the car. I waved as we drove away.

"Distractions. If only he knew." Edward smiled at my remark. "I hope I'll get to see some of France before the excitement begins." Edward squeezed my hand.

"I'd love to show you around France. Maybe when this is all over, we'll spend some time there." I closed my eyes to think about what it would be like to tour the world with Edward. I could hardly wait until it was all over so we could start to live.


	22. Sans Romance

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Sans Romance

The flight to France was uneventful and slow. Luckily Emmett was sitting next to us, making me laugh. Rosalie ignored him because she had heard all his jokes before, several times. I think Emmett appreciated having a new audience. I guess he's had a lot of time to develop his routine. I could see Rosalie and Edward mouthing some of the punchlines as he would say them. I enjoyed it.

It was early morning when we arrived. It was still fairly dark, so I actually saw the lights of the Eiffel Tower as we flew overhead. I imagined racing to the top and kissing Edward up there. I saw the Arc de Triomph, and lighted boats floating up and down the Seine. The city lights were mesmerizing. I thought about taking our time walking through the Louvre. Edward could probably explain everything about each piece there. He was a wealth of knowledge, willing and able to teach me anything I wanted to know.

When we exited the plane, I immediately noticed two vampires, a man and a woman. Tristan walked past us and greeted them with a kiss on each cheek. They looked genuinely happy to see each other. Then Tristan turned around and introduced them to us. Their names were Arnot and Beatrice. They spoke broken english, but enough for us to understand them. Carlisle, however, spoke fluently in french with them. That seemed to put them at ease. Language was never my forte, so I just smiled. Of course, I wasn't surprised when Edward greeted them and exchanged pleasantries in their native tongue. I had so much to learn, but I knew I would have time.

We followed them out of the airport and to the underground metro. I was fascinated that although we tended to draw attention everywhere we went, here, no one seemed to notice us. It was as if we were common place. It was either that, or, no one cared. I could see why Caius would come here, not having to worry about drawing attention to himself. I was about to consign myself to obscurity here, when I noticed some women looking at us. Well, they weren't looking at me, they were staring at Edward. I stepped closer to him, and wrapped my arm around his waist. He was looking down, smiling. He wasn't thinking about the women, he was enjoying my jealous reaction. I started to let go of him, but he reached around and grabbed my arm, preventing me from letting go. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head. I quickly forgot about those women.

We rode the metro to the end of the line. When we came back above ground, the landscape was so different from the city we were just in. There were trees and plants everywhere. The roads were still quiet. There were two large suburbans with dark tinted windows waiting in the parking lot. We divided ourselves up between the two cars, Arnot driving one car, and Beatrice driving the other. I smiled when they started to drive like us, very fast. The country side was so beautiful. Trees lined the roads and there were fields of sunflowers. Cottages made of clay and stones, appearing rusty due to the deep red tones in the clay, were scattered along the countryside. The morning sun cast a warm, golden light over the land. It was so peaceful. I lay my head on Edward's shoulder and appreciated the calm before the storm. I knew that this peace would not last much longer.

The car started to slow, then we pulled off the main road to follow a dirt, unpaved road. When we finally stopped, I looked out the window to see a quaint little cottage, with white windows that were wide open. Stepping out of the car, my nose was filled with delicious scents. I looked at Edward, hoping he would know what smelled so good. His face looked concerned. He quickly came and led me around to the other side of the car.

"Don't be alarmed, you didn't know. There are some... humans here." He was afraid of what my reaction would be. Once I saw who they were in his head, I was a little embarrassed, but fine.

"Oh. That is interesting. Ew. Wait, why are _you_ so worried?" I saw his worry become relief.

"I was afraid you'd feel... guilty for... finding them so... appealing." He was still hesitant. I started to laugh.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect that, but it won't be a problem." I smiled to show him I was really okay. We walked back around and joined the rest of the family in the cottage. It was larger inside than it seemed. Everyone looked comfortable, making introductions and small talk. When they noticed that we had entered, Tristan came to stand next to us, and introduced us.

"Je vous presente Edward et Bella. Ils sont ceux de qui j'ai parle." Edward translated the last part for me. _They are the ones I told you about. _The people we didn't know stared with awe. We smiled sheepishly. "We are all so pleased that you and your family are here. We often stay here when we are in the area. This family has been very kind to us. Let me introduce you." He beckoned to them with his hand to come closer. "This is Guillaume and Solange. Sophie is somewhere, nearby." I looked around, curious to see the child. Suddenly, a little head came bobbing through the now crowded room. Long, bronze curls fell around her shoulders. She skipped along, holding some wild flowers in her hand.

"Maman, Papa, regarde! Les belles fleurs!" She stopped in front of us and looked up. I gasped quietly. Edward grabbed my hand. This little girl looked up at us through large, topaz eyes. "Bonjour," she chirped, then turned and handed the flowers to her mother. Solange bent down and kissed Sophie on the top of her head, then she skipped back the way she had come. I looked at Edward, stunned by her likeness to him, although, she was definitely human. She looked to be about 6 years old. Her eyes, the color was like ours when we were completely satisfied. The only difference was her skin, it was sun-kissed gold.

Tristan invited us to sit with the others so we could discuss the plans. I asked Edward quietly if the humans had any part in the upcoming fight. He told me that they did not, they simply allowed our kind to meet here. I was thinking that they were awfully brave to be in such close contact with vampires. Edward had wondered about that too. It turned out that Beatrice was Solange's sister. They were very close. Beatrice fell in love with Arnot, who was a vampire. Their story sounded very familiar to me. They could not live without each other, so Arnot agreed to change her. A few years after her change, they had maintained their _abstinence _diet, so Beatrice wanted to see Solange again. Solange welcomed them in, with no regard for her own safety, or that of her family. Since then, they have been friendly with vampires who demonstrated self-control, one obvious sign being their eye color. I hoped that our upcoming fight would not interfere with their lives. Tristan cleared his throat to get our attention.

"Caius is staying in an abandoned castle on the other side of this mountain. There are four others with him. I have met these four while in Volterra and they are not particularly gifted, they are just drawn to Caius. They have an overzealous desire to be near him, and to serve him. They will do everything in their power to protect him. I do not think that they will be a problem, considering our numbers. Caius, on the other hand, is said to be elusive. He has hundreds of years of experience and that has given him wisdom, a sort of omniscience, when he is dealing with vampires." When Tristan was done speaking, he turned to Carlisle. "Is there anything you can add considering the time you spent with them?" Carlisle had been thoughtful all the while that Tristan had been speaking. He nodded.

"Caius thinks a little differently than Marcus and Aro. He does not have obvious powers like they do. You are correct in describing him as elusive. I might add that he is cunning. If that was a gift, then that would be his. He will do what you would never think to do. That will be his advantage over us. If we can think outside ourselves, acting in a selfish, self-serving manner, we might be able to guess what it is he would do." Carlisle continued, "the fact that he left Volterra when they suspected something coming shows you his regard for the others. He is out for himself now. Rules will no longer apply to him. Jasper, perhaps you could aid us in planning for an opponent like that." Everyone gathered closer as Jasper started to draw imaginary scenarios with his finger on the coffee table.

I could not imagine Caius being agile. I remembered seeing their papery thin, translucent looking skin. When I touched Aro's hand, the skin felt brittle. A few times since we decided to come here, I imagined Caius practically shattering into a million bits with the first blow. From what I heard so far today, it sounded like it wasn't going to be that easy. A little of my confidence was lost. Edward wasn't paying attention to Jasper anymore. He was looking at me. He reached up and traced his finger along my jaw, then circled around my temple a few times. "Don't worry love, it will be fine." I sighed. Yes, I will trust in Edward. It will be fine.


	23. Unexpected

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Unexpected

Jasper tried to organize teams, but we were all quite adamant about remaining, at least, with our partners. There were two males and two females with Caius. I remember seeing them in Volterra. They didn't appear intimidating, but I wasn't really paying attention to them at the time. Carlisle informed us that they would be daunting opponents. Jasper decided to give us assignments so we could have someone to focus on. It would be two of us, to one of them, with the exception of Caius, who would have three. Edward, Alice, and I would cover Caius. Jasper was going to act like the commander, keeping an eye on everyone. I was feeling excited to finally have a real part in this _conflict_. I warned Edward that he better let me do something, like he promised he would try to do.

We divided up to go over the mountain so we could approach the castle from two sides. I looked back at the cottage as we started across the field. I saw Sophie's head pop up once in a while as she came up from picking flowers. I could see her parents standing in the window, watching her, and watching us as we left. I felt sad for some reason. Their life seemed ideal, except for the vampire traffic coming through their home. How long could they continue to live like this without coming across some _not-so-friendly_ vampires?

"Come on, Bella! You're dragging your feet!" Edward called out to me. I looked down at my feet, not realizing he was being facetious, then looked up and gave him a mean look. I had slowed him down while I was lost in thought. He grinned in apology. I wasn't really mad, so I smiled back. He was right though, I needed to focus on the upcoming task now. I knew what our assignment was. I felt like we had a good chance at accomplishing our part because of Edward and Alice's gifts. We would be a step ahead of Caius at all times. I couldn't see how we could not do it. I wasn't worried about the others, I've seen them in action and it would be over soon. My step quickened as my confidence increased. Edward kept right up with me, feeling my energy build.

The mountain was not very tall, as much as hilly. We moved quickly because the ground was smooth. The mountainside was beautiful. The rolling hills, many covered with grapevines. Luckily, it was overcast, but we were wearing dark pants and long sleeved jackets with hoods, if we needed it. I saw Arnot's arm raise to let us know to slow down because we were getting close. The castle seemed to come out of nowhere. The bricks and stones used to build it were the same color as the earth, so it blended in nicely. It wasn't a large castle, but it was still a good size to get lost in. Alice was in the other group, approaching from the other side, but Edward was keeping tabs on her thoughts in case she received any visions.

"Hold on, Alice sees something." Edward whispered. "They are all assembled in a large room, near the front of the castle." Edward's face winced, as if he were in pain.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I grabbed his arm to get his attention. His looked down at the ground, sad.

"They will be strong. They just finished... eating." I covered my mouth as his words made sense to me. I forgot about their eating habits. I wondered how they lured in their victims.

"Don't worry, the corpses have been... dealt with. They will not be where we are going." I felt a little relieved. He put his arm around me, comforting me. He looked at me, thoughtful, then asked, "are you sure you're ready?"

I hesitated a split second, then answered "Yes." He watched my face for a little while. I think I was able to keep it looking confident. He finally smiled, hopefully, believing me.

Arnot was watching us. Edward looked distant for a second, then looked at Arnot as he said "it's time. They are ready to go in from the other side. Edward grabbed my hand as we glided towards the castle. I had forgotten how we were going to make an entrance. I didn't have time to ask as I heard two loud cracking sounds occur simultaneously. Then we all rushed in. I followed Edward, since he saw where we were going. As we turned down one long hallway, we saw the other group coming from the other direction. Alice was at the front, grinning wildly when she saw us. When our groups met, we turned right into a large room, much like a ballroom.

Caius was sitting on a large chair, a roughly hewn throne of sorts, looking as calm as ever. His entourage, on the other hand, were all in semi-crouches, hissing and growling sounds coming from their throats, their eyes frantically watching our impressive group approach. As we walked closer, we rearranged ourselves so we were facing our assigned opponents. We came to a stop about ten yards in front of them. Caius' ruby red eyes looked piercingly through squinting lids. There was no hint of fear or surprise in his look. The only thing we could hear were the growls coming from his bodyguards.

"Welcome. To what do we owe this great pleasure?" He spoke as if we were unexpected but welcome visitors. "I wish we knew to expect you, we would have saved you some... food." He glared at me as he finished his sentence. It only helped to make me more angry. Edward was afraid it would have a different affect, so he moved in front of me, almost unnoticed. Caius shifted his eyes to Edward. "Marcus tried to explain, but I still don't get it. She is... inconsequential." The growl erupted from Edward's chest suddenly, startling me. I quickly grabbed his arms from behind him, not wanting the fight to start yet. Caius began to laugh. It did not suit him. His bodyguards all looked at him, shocked. Edward could hear them thinking that they have never heard him laugh, in all the years they've known him.

"You could not understand, not with all your knowledge and experience. This is something completely beyond your grasp. I wish we could give you more time to possibly experience it, but your time has run out." Caius' face became blank. He turned to look at Carlisle.

"Do you feel the same way, my old friend?" His voice gave away the tiniest hint of fear. Carlisle nodded in answer.

"Then let it be." The growling shook the walls. I tried to follow the ghostly trail that was Caius. The only reason I could catch a glimpse of him sometimes was because Edward knew where he would be. I could also see quick flashes of where he would be as Alice saw it. We came close several times to grabbing him. I was surprised that he could be so elusive, against the three of us. I looked around and saw that everyone was busy taking care of their business. It wasn't as quick as I had thought, but I could see that they weren't struggling. One by one, the bodyguards were destroyed. Caius seemed to move quicker with each death. The last bodyguard standing caught a piece of Arnot. I heard Beatrice scream when she saw it. We all hesitated at the moment, to see what had happened. Her fury led her to wield the final blow. It was done. Except, Caius had disappeared.

In the moment that we all lost our main focus, he got out. As we regained our focus, Alice saw him going over the mountain, following the trail we had made. Our eyes grew wide with fear at what that could mean. Edward yelled for everyone to head back to the cottage. I heard Beatrice scream again, when she realized what that insinuated. We led the group, Edward still being the fastest, and somehow I could always keep up with him. Edward was trying to listen for Caius' thoughts, but they were all jumbled with fear and anxiety. He didn't know where we had come from, but he hoped there would be something he could use as leverage once he was there. Alice could see that we were getting closer to him. All I could think of was that poor family. They would not be safe if Caius reached them.

As we headed down the mountainside, the clouds began to break. Lone rays of sunshine would briefly break through, illuminating a spot of land. Once in a while, one of us would run through a ray, throwing rainbows of light around momentarily. Edward's speed picked up even more when he saw Caius' calculating joy when he saw the cottage where we had come from. We were nearly there, and we could see his blurry outline rounding the cottage. We spread out to encircle the house. Before we could enter, we heard screams. Edward pushed me back and Alice wrapped her arms around my waist, so I could not enter. Beatrice and Arnot rushed past us into the cottage. Her anguished scream let me know we were too late.

Suddenly, Alice and I saw a glimmer of hope in this gloomy circumstance. We rushed around to the back of the house, where we saw a solitary tree in the field. We saw two ropes hanging from one of the larger branches that was horizontal to the ground. It was moving back and forth. We rushed towards the tree. At the same time, we saw Caius following her scent from the house. Edward was on his tail, as were Beatrice and Arnot. Every cell in my body yearned to move faster, to beat him there. Alice and I saw something right then that gave me an idea. I ripped my jacket off, leaving me wearing just a light camisole top. Caius and I would reach Sophie at the exact moment, as we were. However, the clouds parted just before we reached her, the sun shining down like a spotlight around the tree. When we entered the perimeter of light, the brightness blinded him. It distracted Caius long enough for me to sweep Sophie off the swing and out of his way, then Edward, Beatrice, and Arnot were on top of him a second later. I kept Sophie tucked into a ball in front of me, blocking her from what was happening behind us. She didn't make a sound.

When it was all over, Edward brought me my jacket. As he put it on me, Sophie sat there on my lap, gently rubbing her hand over my chest and neck where it continued to sparkle. She was smiling, no trace of fear in her. Beatrice came up and held out her hands to her. She remained on my lap, until Beatrice lowered her arms, confused. Sophie stood up and wrapped her arms around my neck. She then kissed both my cheeks then hugged me tight. "Merci," she whispered in my ear. I lowered my head next to her neck and kissed it. She shrugged her head, reacting to my cold lips against her skin. I leaned back and smiled at her. She smiled back, then looked up at her aunt. She held up her hand, and Beatrice took it, smiling again.

Jasper and Emmett had remained for a little while at the castle to properly dispose of the bodies, both vampire and human. They were back now disposing of one more vampire. Beatrice agreed to call the mortuary to come and take her sister and brother-in-law. I felt so much sorrow for her and for Sophie.

Beatrice was trying to explain to her that her parents would not be back. She looked so confused. They were talking for a while, and I just watched. Edward came over and put his arm around me. I leaned into him, wanting to feel comforted. He turned and kissed my temple. We both watched as Beatrice wrapped Sophie in her arms. Sophie's head was turned in our direction. When Beatrice released her, she started walking towards us. She stopped in front of us, tilted her head to one side, and stared. Then she came closer, turned her back towards me, and backed up until she was on my lap. I pulled her closer and kept my arms around her. Edward reached over and brushed her hair with his hand. She reached up and took his hand and held onto it. We looked at each other, not sure what to think. Alice approached us, a look of awe on her face. Then I saw it too. Sophie wanted to stay with us. For some unexplained reason, she was drawn to us. I felt the same way.


	24. Possibilities

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Possibilities

Everyone gathered in the cottage, once it was cleared out. Arnot and Beatrice were seated together, Beatrice lying across his lap, he was stroking her hair comfortingly. Carlisle and Esme sat together at the table, their hands clasped. Rose was sitting on Emmett's lap on the couch, while Jasper and Alice sat next to them. Edward was sitting on a chair, and I sat on a cushion on the ground in front of him. My head was leaning on his leg. Sophie was curled up into a ball on my lap. We wrapped her in a blanket so she would not be chilled. Tristan and Trevor stood in the doorway. We were all quiet, soaking in the events that transpired.

Sophie was awake, but lay very still in my lap. I was concentrating on her when Edward touched my head to get my attention. I looked up at him and he smiled, a warm, tender, "do you know how much I love you?" smile. I winked at him, then wrapped one of my arms around his legs and squeezed. I listened to see what he was thinking.

_You did great today. That was brilliant, what you did to distract Caius. That was something, I don't think, any of us would have thought of. I am so proud of you. Look at you now, Sophie is so comfortable with you, and you are so at ease with her. I wish, for both of our sakes, that it were possible to... keep her._

Ever since I saw the vision with Alice, I was looking for a way to make that happen. It was difficult because I could see the hurt in her aunt's eyes when she came over to us earlier. Sophie was her only family left. Of course, she would have custody of her legally. But clearly from the vision, and this time I wanted it to be certain, Sophie had chosen us. Would Beatrice be willing to accept that? How would that affect our lives? A child. A human child. Would we be putting her in greater danger? Would life be different once the Volturi are gone? I stopped asking myself all these questions. I wanted answers, not more questions. There were so many possibilities.

From where we were sitting, I could see the tree in the field. The setting sun was casting an orange glow over the field. I had an idea. I whispered to Edward that I wanted to go sit on the swing. He smiled then looked down at Sophie. I gently moved her off my lap and onto the cushion. We walked out of the cottage, hand in hand, and headed for the swing. As we entered the dying rays of the sun, the light reflecting off our skin was golden yellow and orange, same as the sunset. I sat on the swing and Edward gently pushed me.

"So what are you thinking, my Bella?" I could feel Edward's happiness through his thoughts. He was always so thrilled to have access to my once unreachable mind.

"Sophie. She makes you happy, doesn't she? Well, I know she does, but I want you to know that... she makes me happy, too. I've been trying to figure out a way..." I trailed off.

"Me, too." He leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

"Would it be too dangerous? We both know how much trouble I got into being 'human' around you guys. I was wondering, if when the Volturi are gone, and vampires can be taught or given choices, that it _might_ be possible? I know change will be slow, but she will be growing the whole time. Oh, and how would we explain to Charlie, and Renee? I guess we can say we adopted her from your family. We can say she was an orphan who we decided to raise ourselves. Where would we live? What about school?" I stopped the swing. It was overwhelming. Edward walked around to stand in front of me. He pushed me backwards until I was high enough on the swing to wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, still sitting on the swing. He was chuckling. I sighed. "I know, so many questions." He leaned in to kiss me. Yes, I needed a respite from my worries.

His lips were gentle, slow, and calculating. I was getting excited, but he kept it slow. I tightened my legs around his waist, bringing him closer. He paused from kissing to smile. Ah, all he needed was a little encouragement. I started a trail of kisses from him mouth, across his cheek, and down his neck. When I got to the base of his neck, I did something I had never done before, I bit him, gently of course. He pulled back his head immediately, his eyes full of playful shock. I tried to look innocent, but he saw the playfulness in my eyes. I released my arms and legs and slipped down to the ground, then I took off running. Edward chased me. I felt like a child again, running in circles, zig-zagging to try and avoid his outstretched hand. Finally, when the grass was high enough, I allowed him to catch me, pulling him down to the ground when he did. He lay on top of me, laughing and smiling.

"Did you bite me back there?" He asked incredulously. I laughed.

"Did you like it? I could do it again?" His face became suddenly serious. I was afraid that maybe he didn't like it.

"Is this your way of getting back at me for what I did to you?" He kept his voice so serious, I was really getting worried now. But surely he couldn't mean that. He knows how happy I am. "Bella! I'm kidding!" He saw the worry on my face. He brought his hand to the side of my face, looking so tenderly at me. I was being ridiculous. I smiled, recognizing my silliness. He brought his head down and began kissing my jaw, then neck. I loved the feel of his lips against my skin. I closed my eyes, luxuriating in the moment. Then suddenly my eyes shot open as an icy burn tingled my neck. Edward bit me, just enough to cause that burn, but it wasn't painful, it was surprisingly... exciting. He pulled his head back to watch my reaction. I could see he wasn't exactly sure what I was thinking. I very quickly flipped us over so I was on top.

"That wasn't very nice. In fact, it was downright dirty... I like it!" I bent down and kissed him, with all the passion I could gather. He responded exactly how I wanted.

The contrast between how I felt in the field, and how it felt inside the cottage was extreme. I felt a little guilty that with everything that happened, we had a moment of bliss. But at the same time, I needed that break from the gloom. Emmett and Rosalie were gone, so I sat on Edward's lap next to Alice on the couch. When I looked over at them, they both rolled their eyes at us as Alice reached over and pulled some grass out of my hair. I just shrugged my shoulders and smiled at her. I looked at Sophie, still curled up on the cushion. Beatrice had come over and was sitting on the chair above her. She smiled at me, which brought me a sense of relief.

Carlisle was speaking with Arnot at the table. When they were done talking, they came and stood where everyone could see them. "We must move quickly to the next phase. Tristan has informed us that Volterra seems to be buzzing with rumors of an uprising. The guard is being reinforced, but there is dissension in the ranks. Tristan's men in the guard are planting seeds of jealousy and suspicion to distract them. We will continue to formulate our plan as we travel there. We will leave as soon as it is dark." We all nodded in agreement.

I looked at Edward. "Where will Sophie go?" Edward looked over at Beatrice. I looked at her too and I could see she was lost in thought.

"I want to stay here, with her, but I can't stand to be away from Arnot, especially if he is in danger. There are some very good friends, some neighbors who I can leave her with. They have watched her before when Solange..." her voice cracked as she said her sister's name, "had to travel." I got up and walked over to her. I knelt on the ground and wrapped my arms around her neck. She stiffened for a brief moment, then returned the hug. She hugged me fiercely. Then she whispered in my ear, "I never thanked you for saving Sophie. Thank you." I couldn't speak. We both looked down at the angel sleeping at our feet. I reached down and rubbed her cheek with the back of my hand. She stirred. I felt bad, I didn't mean to wake her. Sophie opened her eyes, looked up at me, then smiled. She sat up and put her arms around my neck. I scooped her up into my arms and held her close to me. Beatrice watched us, smiling.

It was hard saying good bye to Sophie as we left her at the neighbors. She looked sad, watching us all leave. She blew a kiss at me. I reached up and grabbed it and pat my cheek. Her smile widened when she saw me do that. Beatrice was watching me, again. Her face was pensive. Then she said, "My sister used to do that, whenever she left Sophie. It was _their_ thing." I froze. Beatrice put her hand on top of mine. "I think it's wonderful. Please don't worry." The relief flooded me with joy.

"Thank you. I didn't know I could feel this way." Edward put his arm around me and Beatrice held onto my hand. I was happy, even as we drove to impending disaster.


	25. Bella Italia

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Bella Italia

Edward could see how anxious I was getting as we drove closer and closer to Volterra. He encouraged me to try and sleep, something he found fascinating considering I was the only vampire he knew who _could_ sleep. I resisted because I didn't feel like being the center of ridicule in case I started talking again. Who knew what would come out of me? I think my greatest worry about talking in my sleep was that Beatrice was still next to me and I was afraid I might talk about Sophie, and how I wanted her.

Tristan was on the phone, trying to notify everyone about where to meet, just outside Florence. We were driving over the border of France now, so we would be arriving in Florence in a few hours. I enjoyed the drive through France. Little towns with cobblestone roads. Colorful flower baskets outside every window and door. Cathedral spires shooting into the sky in nearly every town. People walking in the streets, carrying loaves of baguettes. I remember once wanting to go to France specifically to eat their pastries. I was sad to not have that desire anymore. Instead, I was hungry for other things.

So far, the plan was to meet with Tristan's group outside Florence. It would be a short drive from there to Volterra. While near Florence, we would take that opportunity to eat and gather our strength. Once we knew what our numbers were, we would divide up and receive our assignments. Tristan's friends in the guard would also join us to give us detailed information about the guard and what is going on inside the castle. My biggest concern was whether or not Volterra would remain the safest place on earth, for humans. I was worried that tourists visiting there when we arrive might get caught in the fight. I mentioned this to Edward, so he brought it up with Tristan. I was relieved to find out that it was in the process of being handled.

Italy. My last visit here almost doesn't count. It was heaven and hell in three days. It was a terrifying experience, yet I would do it again in a heartbeat. Here I was, returning to the place I vowed to myself, I would never return to. But I was different now. In many ways. This time, I was more prepared. I thought about Aro and Marcus. I wondered how they were reacting to the rumors. I wondered if they have tried to get in touch with Caius. They must be worried, now, that their beloved Jane had not returned. Also, their right hand men, Felix and Demetri never returned. I was really curious to see how they handled worry.

We drove up to a large home tucked deep within the woods. I smiled at Edward as we saw the abundant wildlife roaming freely. I was grateful to be out of the car. I took a deep breath and was surprised by the many distinct scents that my mind picked up. Just then, the main door of the house opened and several people came out, greeting Tristan, Trevor, Arnot, and Beatrice with the customary kisses on both cheeks. They were happy, yet worried. Of course they would be. Alice once told me that no one would be "stupid enough to mess with them." The Volturi.

Our family automatically gathered together for the introductions. I glanced around and noticed that each couple held hands or had an arm around each other. Edward had his arm loosely around my waist, then suddenly pulled me closer. I checked to see what he was thinking. I started to giggle as I realized that all the men in our family, excluding Carlisle, were making it clear to the strangers standing before us that we were taken. Apparently, Edward saw that some of the single guys were wondering, so he made it clear. I liked this territorial feeling. I know I've felt it, although, the truth be known, we were very secure in our relationship.

There were so many names being said, many with foreign accents, it was a little difficult to remember everyone. However, the scents were much easier to match to their faces. This would definitely come in handy during the fight. I looked at each face, focused on their scent, then moved to the next. They all had that sweet, alluring smell, with subtle differences. I thought of wines and how the ground and air the grapes are grown in affect the subtle differences in taste. This was very similar. There were a few women present, standing next to their partners. I marveled at the beauty and attractiveness of the vampires who stood before us. We could very well be lined up for a photo shoot, everyone was so cleverly dressed and perfect looking. When I got to Tristan and Trevor, I was surprised to see two young girls standing near them. I smiled thinking they must be the ones they spoke of, the ones they were longing to see again. I looked over at Esme, and I could see her smiling at Trevor, a look of contentment on her face. Tristan stepped forward to get out attention.

"Let's go inside. We can go out and hunt in smaller groups, while the rest of us discuss the plans. We will enter Volterra early tomorrow morning. We've been informed that most feeding takes place in the afternoon, so they will be strongest in the evening. We hope that our early arrival will take them by surprise, when their strength is waning. We have rough schematics of the city, so we will be able to enter, hopefully, unnoticed." Tristan turned to enter the house. Everyone slowly filed inside. I whispered to Edward that I was hungry. We called Alice and Jasper and invited them to join us for a hunt. We let Tristan know, then left. It was interesting hunting in the dark. I was still fascinated by the heightened senses that I now had. Edward was really pleased whenever he saw me enjoying my vampire skills. It made him feel a little better about my choice, and his part in it. I was grateful for any bit of relief he would feel because as far as I was concerned, that was the best choice I have ever made.

We returned to the house, full and satisfied. The next group left when we got inside. The mood was surprisingly enthusiastic. The guys from the guard had arrived and had informed them of the state of the castle and city. The guards were on high alert, however, because of their distrusting nature, several guards eliminated each other for us. The permanent guards were stationed inside the castle, keeping a close eye on the personal quarters of Aro and Marcus. However, Aro and Marcus did not see much of each other, for they were suspecting each other. Never has an uprising gone so far. Our chances improved with the dissolution of the great leaders.

Carlisle watched quietly as everyone talked, planned, and prepared excitedly for what was about to happen. When there was a lull in the talking, he stood up to get everyone's attention. He looked around at everyone first, with respect and trust in his eyes, then spoke. "It is good to see so many people here to support this cause. I want you to know that my family is here for the protection and insured continuation of our _kind_. For whatever reasons you chose this refined lifestyle, I applaud you. For a long time now, I thought we were unique to this alternate living. We know of one other coven who have chosen this way also. Now, to see so many of you, I have cause to hope that it will be possible for all vampires to make a better, more conscience relieving choice. I realize that some will reject it, they are either too new, or too old to change. There is hope for the new, they can be taught. But the old... they will be a challenge. Tristan has proven to be a great leader. I see that you trust him, and follow him happily. Consider that as you remove the current self-imposed governing body. We will be happy to help get you organized and set up, however, we will return to our home, to resume the lives we were leading."

I watched the faces of all those around us. I listened to Edward hearing their thoughts. Carlisle had a gift of winning people's trust, and it was true here. There were a few people who were considering him to be a better leader, but they heard what he said at the end, so now their minds were turned to Tristan. Perhaps there were more qualified people in this group, but we have not had a chance to find out. As events unfolded, I was sure the leaders would rise to the occasion. Edward was smiling, knowing they would acquiesce to the idea of Tristan as a leader. Tristan was honored by Carlisle's announcement. He was humbled, yet hopeful that with our help, he could do it. I was impressed with him, I felt like he would do a good job. Alice came and stood next to me, holding my hand. We both saw Tristan, governing justly, surrounded by friends and supporters. It was a pleasant vision. We kept it to ourselves, for now.

Everyone had a chance to hunt by the time we had to leave. It was still dark. Everyone had their assignments, and knew where they would enter from. Tristan had come up with a wonderful idea for how to get a few of us directly into the castle. The two guards on our side, Jean and Luc, would escort us in, as if bringing us in. We decided that Carlisle, Edward, Alice, and I would be brought in together. However, Esme and Jasper felt strongly about remaining with us, so it ended up being the six of us. Alice saw that we would be safe for a little while. Hopefully the rest of the group, with their assignments, would get to us in time. She couldn't see what decision Aro or Marcus would make because they were so confused about what was going on.

As we approached the castle, Edward tuned into their thoughts. Aro was frustrated that with all his power, he did not see this coming. He was also angry that Marcus seemed to blame him for what was happening. Edward winced as Aro briefly thought that this all started because of a simple human girl: Bella. He was distracted by Edward's gift, wanting Edward to join them, that he allowed this human girl to live. Caius disapproved from the start. Marcus was fascinated by the strength of our relationship, but he was on the fence about whether to let me go or not. Aro was also curious to see what gifts I would have once I became a vampire. He was still unaware that I did have gifts. He questioned it however, because when Jane had returned after the first visit, he saw all her thoughts. He saw her joy as she thought she was inflicting pain on me. But he also saw her wonder if I was hiding something as she departed. He was thinking that it was probably something inconsequential. Edward smiled when he thought that.

Marcus was in his quarters, blaming Aro for this mess. He did blame Bella. He was intrigued with her potential, but he agreed with Caius, that the law was the law, and she should have been punished. Marcus then had another thought, he wondered if he had made a mistake saving those two brothers who shared a close mental link. They gave them time to think about their offer, but they never returned. One of the rumors he heard was that these brothers had a part in this uprising. He could understand why. After he gave the order for them to be spared, he then made sure they watched as he killed their mother. Aro just happened to get hold of their father. They gave these brothers good cause to want to fight back. Marcus was without conscience, but he understood consequences.

I held my breath as we entered the lobby of the castle. We walked in almost as quickly as I remember trying to leave this nightmarish place. Jean and Luc put on a good show, pushing us along, making a few harsh comments when another guard was nearby. When we got off the elevator, I tensed up. This room. The desk was empty. Too early for the assistant to be here. I was glad, because I knew she was human. I squeezed Edward's hand, trying to remain calm. My memories were vivid of my last visit here. We stopped in the antechamber, waiting for some of the guards to inform Aro and Marcus that they had visitors. A moment later, they escorted us into the turret. My eyes widened as I looked upon a very calm Aro, sitting on his chair, waiting for us patiently.


	26. Dawn

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Dawn

Four guards stood around Aro, two on each side. Jean and Luc backed up to guard the entrance to the room, from whom, only we knew. Jasper and I were surprised by the absence of emotion in the room. It was too still. I could not take my eyes off of Aro, his visage was unreadable. However, Edward could see that he was fascinated to find us here, at this time. He had not decided whether to believe that we would go up against them, or not. He looked at each of us for several intense moments. His eyes finally rested upon Carlisle. He lifted his hand slowly , in the act of offering it to be kissed. Carlisle did not move. Aro's eyes narrowed. The guards shifted minutely, causing me to tense with anticipation of a quick attack. But no one moved. Aro lowered his arm and continued to scrutinize Carlisle's face. After what seemed like an eternity, Aro spoke.

"It has been a long time... friend. I wish the circumstances were more amiable, however something disturbs the long time peace we have _enjoyed_. You don't happen to know anything about that, do you?" His eyes glowed a fiery red as he concentrated on Carlisle's body language.

"It has been a long time, many things have changed." Carlisle spoke, calm and clear. Aro's eyes darted to me.

"Yes, changes have occurred. Some more disappointing than others." Aro then glanced around the rest of the empty room. "I do wish I had more company to greet you. Keeping order often requires one to travel to all corners of the earth. Hopefully, they will return soon to join me in welcoming you back." If Aro had any idea that his _company_ no longer existed, he covered it well. I almost felt sorry for him not knowing they would never return. Almost. His eyes were on me again.

"Tell me, how do you find this new... lifestyle?" I knew he was speaking to me, yet his face showed disinterest. I looked at Edward. Aro followed my gaze and rested on Edward also. "There are many things I wish to know. Would you be more willing?" He once again raised his hand up, this time towards Edward. While he did, he glanced fleetingly at Carlisle. Edward surprised me and smiled at Aro.

"Not much has changed since you last saw me, except that we kept our word." He nodded at me, indicating my change. Aro started to look a little frustrated that no one was willing to make physical contact with him. "Bella has adjusted well to _our_ lifestyle." Aro imperceptibly shook his head, but his thoughts revealed that he was disgusted that another vampire had chosen the alternate food source. Little did he know that the number of vampires who were making this choice was ever increasing.

During our conversation, Jasper had been attempting to spread a feeling of calm in the room. However, he felt resistance. He felt as if someone was pushing negative feelings towards us. Edward was thinking the same thing. He caught one of the guards who was standing next to Aro, concentrating on filling us with thoughts of anger, frustration, and discord. Fortunately, he was no match for our love and unity. The ties that bound us together, the six of us in the room at this moment, was too strong to be influenced by him. Edward knew that another guard kept trying to put suggestions into our minds to leave, or fight. This was handy information. Alice once told me that most of the guards had gifts. Knowing what they could do could help me defend ourselves better.

I noticed outside one of the windows that the once dark sky was streaked with purple ribbons. Dawn was approaching. The first crack of the sun over the horizon was the signal to everyone to start. I suddenly felt afraid for those who were not with us. I was afraid for Emmett and Rosalie, who were supposed to find Marcus. Tristan and Trevor were with them. Arnot and Beatrice led another group through the underground tunnels that would bring them up to the main square, where many of the guards were keeping watch. The majority of the transitional guards were in the square. They had not planned on an attack from the inside. Another group kept watch outside the castle walls, preventing anyone from entering, or leaving.

Aro lifted his hand and signaled to Luc, who was still standing watch at the entrance, that he should go and get Marcus. Luc left, with a nod. Edward grinned briefly because Luc was thinking what a disappointment it will be for Aro when Marcus doesn't come when he calls. Aro looked at Alice now. "Your visions... they are a funny thing. The things I saw, they are not... the same." Alice smiled, an innocent, yet tricky smile.

"Yeah, they can be... temperamental. I never know from one moment to the next. I guess I wouldn't be that much of an _asset_ to you." As she said that, Jasper reached around the back of her and squeezed her tush. He mouthed to her that she was an asset to him. She squirmed with delight. Aro's brows furrowed, displeased with their trivial sensuality. I chuckled, unable to hold it back, at the sheer silliness of what just happened, in the face of what was about to take place. Aro was thinking that he made another mistake wanting to accept her power as an absolute truth. He saw his mistakes stacking up now.

The ribbons in the sky were violet now, against a deep purple back drop. A few slivers of fiery orange lined a few of the ribbons. The time drew nearer, and I wasn't sure how this would start. Alice had seen some of what was taking place right now, but she couldn't see beyond it because Aro was not fully aware of our intentions, so he didn't have a choice to make. However, at this moment, Alice and I saw him make a decision. The castle turret suddenly exploded with baubles of light as the first rays of the sun burst through the window, hitting several of us directly. I looked at Edward and he smiled. We were connected, again.

I knew which guards had the special gifts. Edward knew which powers would be useful. Alice danced and avoided oncoming guards. Jasper attacked while they were distracted by her elusiveness. Carlisle and Esme worked together. They were formidable as a couple. Luc had returned, so he and Jean joined the fight. One guard showed increased confidence when he saw them approaching, only to be swiftly torn apart by them. The other guards, seeing this, showed increased strength and agility. The fight was both on a mental and physical playing field. Negative thoughts caused split second hesitations, luckily none were fatal. Edward had determined that none of these guards showed an inkling of change, hardened by the decades of service to the Volturi. Except for the one that Jean and Luc destroyed, the other three guards remained intact.

Aro remained on his chair, observing. He was so statue-like, the stillness was unnerving. The chaos in the room didn't phase him. He showed no fear, or contentment when either side progressed. Edward gave me an idea to try. I concentrated on the guards. I bombarded their minds with doubt that they would survive. I told them that it was all Aro's fault. I told them that they were oppressed by the Volturi. Their lives could have been different if they were only given a choice.

Edward and I watched as their actions became less precise. Their eyes darted sporadically towards Aro. They were losing focus, their minds clouded with doubt, fear, and anger. Finally, the statuesque marble figure sitting on the chair showed signs of life. His beady eyes scanned the room, searching for the source of this distraction. When his eyes met mine, they widened with shock and confirmation. He knew at that moment, I was behind this. Edward was at my side, smiling, holding my hand. The guards were no more, and no one was coming to help. Aro knew it. He was surrounded by eight very capable vampires who wanted him destroyed.

The calm, cool demeanor was gone. I could feel that he was angry and afraid, but his face didn't seem to know how to show it. These were not feelings he experienced often, or at all. Edward was scanning his mind, but he kept his thoughts limited to this very moment. I had an idea, and Edward nodded his agreement. I stepped forward suddenly, causing Aro to flinch slightly. I lifted my hand to him. He studied my action for a long moment, then finally lifted his hand up to touch mine. His face remained unchanged as he saw nothing, still. I, on the other hand, began to tremble as centuries of his thoughts came flooding into my mind. It was the most horrible, terrifying thing I was ever endured. I fought to break the connection, but he seemed to understand what was happening, so he kept hold of my hand. I saw the tyrannical desire of his heart, and knew that what we were doing was right. Any doubts I may have had disappeared as his thoughts revealed his true desires, and they were evil.

A crowd burst into the room at that moment. He released my hand, first with a hopeful glance that help finally arrived, then his face tightened with the realization that it would soon be over. Tristan and Trevor led the group in. Emmett and Rosalie walked beside them, grinning. Edward and I could see their glorious battle unfold in his mind. Marcus fell quickly. He was so filled with anger towards Aro, that he could not focus on what was happening. The guards weren't particularly gifted, except for brute strength and cruelty. However, they were no match for Emmett and Rosalie. Tristan and Trevor used their connection to avoid and attack effectively. Trevor had the honor of the final blow to Marcus. The look on Marcus' face was almost one of acceptance, facing his consequence without regret.

Now, as everyone congregated in the turret, Aro accepted his fate. He stared at me. He was thinking how incredibly amazing my existence was. It wasn't admiration, it was disdain. He couldn't believe that someone as insignificant as myself could trigger these events. My life as a human was so... ordinary, even painful. He recalled Edward's thoughts about me, and he saw a clumsy, accident prone, plain girl. Yet, I was immune to some of their powers, I bewitched Edward, and I accepted and _wanted_ this life. He looked around the room, disgusted to find two types of vampires present. Those with our eyes, and those with the traditional ruby colored eyes. It was hard for him to believe that we could band together to bring this to pass. Yet, here we were. I knew the moment was upon us. I turned to Edward and he read my thought. He took my hand, and we both turned and left the room. I did not need to see one more scene of horror. Hearing it as we walked down the hall was enough. I felt a sense of relief as I realized it was over. The sky was bright now, the darkness was gone, a new dawn had come.


	27. Recovery

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Recovery

When Edward and I reached the lobby, I turned into him and pounded his chest without force. My mind was overwhelmed with everything that just occurred. That part was over. I wasn't sure if that would be the hardest part, because now a new type of order needed to be established. That would take time. But right now, the horrors of Aro's life passed through my mind. The thoughts were so vivid, I could almost taste the blood in my mouth. I felt like I wanted to die, if I could. Edward looked frustrated because we were no longer in the sunlight, so he didn't know what I was going through. My thoughts were so closely connected to my emotions, that I felt a sick sense of guilt for having all those thoughts, even though they weren't mine. I could tell Edward was getting more and more worried. He quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me outside.

Many eyes stared at us as we came out, some we recognized from Tristan's group. They were cleaning up after the fight that occurred here. I kept my head down, not wanting to see the pile they were making, or the fire and smoke it created. They were looking because we walked out in the piazza uncloaked, and sparkling. We knew there were no humans present, so we weren't too concerned about it right now. He led me to one of the entrances, then we walked along the outside wall until we came to a steep hill. There was a lone tree a few yards down the hill. We slid down to the tree, catching hold of it to stop our downhill motion. He leaned his back against it, then pulled me into his arms. The sun felt good. His worry started to fade as my mind opened up to him. He showered my head with kisses, pulling me securely to him.

He kept whispering, "Bella, that's not you. He was the monster. Try to forget. You are an angel. You are wonderful, pure, untainted. Try to forget about him." There was only one thing that ever helped me to forget things.

I looked up into his love-filled eyes and said, "Please, help me forget." He smiled for a moment, then brought his lips to mine. We kissed slowly. I relished the feel of the movement of his lips against mine. I savored his taste. His breath started to work it's magic. My mind was slowly fading, taking with it the horror film that played repeatedly. He tangled his hands in my hair. I brought my hands to his head and passionately scratched and massaged his scalp. I could tell by his sudden intake of breath that he liked that. His hands moved down the side of my body, following closely to my form. He looped his hands behind my thighs and lifted me up, bringing my legs around his hips. I paused from kissing him to say "Thank you," then continued kissing him. When I could barely remember where we were, I stopped kissing him. He continued to gently kiss my neck as I tried to gather what I could of my now blissful mind.

"I saw _all_ your thoughts," I whispered to him, hoping I didn't disturb his continued affection.

He paused only to say "I know."

"Some of the thoughts I never thought to ask you."

"Mm hmm." He continued to lavish my throat with kisses.

"So, you really want to go back to Dartmouth, take Sophie with us, and you would stay home with her while I go to school?"

"Mm hmm." He didn't even hesitate. I thought about it for a little while, knowing he was following my train of thought carefully. He suddenly stopped kissing my neck and looked at me. "I'm so happy you feel that way, too. Let's go find Alice."

"Maybe we should be talking to Beatrice instead," I suggested, reluctantly.

"Of course, you're right. I guess I rely a little too much on Alice sometimes." He tugged on my hand to get me moving up the steep incline. I struggled, not for lack of strength, because I didn't want him to stop kissing me. When we got back to the entrance, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me again, because he could read how much I wanted him to. There were more people gathered in the square now. When Edward released me, I felt a tiny bit embarrassed to be watched by so many vampires. Luckily, Edward could not sense any one thinking this was improper, or foolish. In fact, the word had spread quickly of my last _contact _with Aro. I knew no one in our family would have said anything, so it must have been one of the guards. I didn't mind so much, except they were starting to think I should be more involved in the new government.

Edward's face fell when he heard many of them thinking that. He urged me forward, back into the lobby. He was concerned that there would be expectations, ones we made clear we were going to avoid. We rode the elevator in silence. We got off on a different floor. Edward heard Carlisle thinking that it would be better if they convened in a different location. The turret carried unpleasant memories for some of us. I was grateful for the change of scenery. The room we entered was very different from the rest of the castle. It could easily be mistaken for a multi-purpose hall in a convention center. The walls were carpeted and bland. There were stacks of chairs and round tables piled in one corner. There was even a small stage.

A group of about thirty people were gathered together in front of the stage. Tristan and Carlisle were standing, facing the rest, who were seated. There were three empty chairs facing the small crowd. Then there were twelve more empty chairs lined up on the side of the group. When Carlisle saw us enter, he beckoned for us to join him up front.

"For those of you who don't know, this is my son Edward, and his wife Bella. You've met the rest of my family. Edward and Bella have plans that resume when we leave here. However, they will help us while they are here." Carlisle was referring to Edward's gift. He wanted Edward to discern the thoughts of those who would seek to be in a leadership position. Carlisle then turned and faced us.

"We've already taken a vote, and Tristan will be the temporary head. He has selected Trevor and Arnot to be his counselors. We have opened up the floor to those who would seek to be... sort of district leaders over different regions. We've divided up the world into twelve regions, hence, we need twelve people to be in charge of those regions. We have several people here today who come from different regions, so if they are willing, and worthy, they will be temporarily assigned as that regional representative." I was amazed that they had a system already in place. I felt better now, relieved that we weren't leaving anyone hanging. Edward had relaxed too.

"Where'd you go?" Alice asked as she slipped her arm through mine. "I missed you. You missed some exciting stuff... well, good exciting stuff. Remember what we saw earlier? About Tristan? Well, it's been confirmed. He will be great. He will receive great support from his brother, and a lot of wisdom from Arnot. Beatrice will, of course, want to be where Arnot is... you might want to go talk to her now!" She winked, then skipped back to Jasper. I leaned over and whispered to Edward that I was going to go speak with Beatrice. He looked like he wanted to join me, but he knew Carlisle needed him right then. He pecked my cheek, then I walked around to find Beatrice.

When she saw me, her face lighted up. She came over to me, kissed my cheeks, then embraced me. "You have done so much for us. Thank you. Arnot is honored and humbled to be in his position to help others." She looked away from me, unsure of how I would think about what she was about to tell me. "I would like to be with him, wherever he is called to go. This means..." Her eyes were filled with regret and hope, regret for not doing what part of her heart told her, and hope that Sophie would find a good home, with someone else.

"If you would allow me, us, to care for her, we would honored. She has already won our hearts. Just say the words, and we will do it." I tried to control the emotions that boiled within me. Beatrice threw her arms around me once again. Edward was suddenly by my side. When Beatrice let go of me, she looked at us, her eyes speaking volumes. "Would you please take care of Sophie for me?" This time Edward and I wrapped our arms around her. The sounds escaping her throat were sobs of joy. Edward kissed her head, he was also filled with joy.

Arnot came to join us. "Thank you. This was my only concern for Beatrice, that she would be torn between being with me, and caring for her niece. I was afraid she would grow to resent me, or my office, if it kept her from properly taking care of Sophie. But now, I know she will be at peace, knowing she will be with you. We've watched you with her. It seems the most natural thing to happen. We will always be here, when you need us."

"We have everything we want and need, now." Edward pulled me close to his side. I was choked with happiness and anticipation of seeing Sophie again. Arnot and Beatrice returned to the front of the group. I was suddenly being carried and bounced around like a doll.

"I'm soooo happy for you! You're going to be a mommy! You'll be so great. And we can go shopping, and dress her up in the cutest clothes, and take her to school, and scare off anybody who tries to make trouble for her. Bella? Aren't you excited?" Alice's enthusiasm waned as she waited for my response.

"Of course I am, I have happy shock so I can't express it as vocally as you!" I managed to crack a smile before she had me bouncing in the air again. Jasper stood there, enjoying all the joy in the air. He pat Edward's back, his congratulatory pat. Emmett and Rosalie came up next. Rose hugged me. I sensed sadness in her face. Edward explained that she was sadly reminded that she would never have children. She was truly happy for me, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for herself. I looked her straight in the face and said, "we will _all_ be raising her. You will have lots of opportunities to screw it up just like me!" She couldn't help but smile. Emmett came over and hugged Rose, then winked at me.

When Emmett and Rose moved over, Esme stood there, looking like the proudest mother in the world. Edward came and put his arm around me. She came over and took one of each or our hands in hers. "There is no one more deserving than you two. Sophie will be so lucky to have you. She will have all of us, but I've seen you guys together. There is something there, as unexplained as you two being drawn together. I see only good coming from this union." We wrapped our arms around each other, feeling whole. I was now very anxious to get back to France, to get back to Sophie.


	28. Sophie

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Sophie

Edward could not drive fast enough. We borrowed the fastest car we could find. Beatrice called the neighbors to let them know we were coming. We would wait at the house with her until everyone arrived. I looked forward to the time alone with her. On the way, Edward went over some basic french with me. I was surprised at how easily the language was coming to me. I think it helped that I had such a strong desire to learn it, so I could more easily communicate with Sophie. Edward was pleased with my enthusiasm. He was thinking I should enroll in a french language class when we got back to Dartmouth. That was a great idea.

Another thing crossed my mind as we drove. "Edward, how do you suggest we tell Charlie and Renee about this?" His mind was suddenly filled with lots of different ideas. I was surprised that they varied from not mentioning it, to she was a distant relative who lost her parents. He also bounced between saying she was a ward of the family, or claiming her as our own. That made me think about her astounding resemblance to him. If the time line were different, we could have easily presented her as our own. The only problem was, she continued to age. This led me to another thought.

"How do you think she will be affected by our... peculiar physical characteristics? I mean, she's bound to notice that we don't change much. How much will we divulge to her? I believe she's seen Beatrice in the sunlight because she didn't seem surprised when she saw me. She also didn't mind my skin." As I spoke, I got a funny feeling. She was a lot like me, comfortable and accepting of these strange differences. I smiled.

"What are you thinking? Why are you smiling?" Edward asked curiously.

"She really is like you and I. She has your striking beauty, and she has a willing, open heart and mind to accept the unnatural." Edward reached over and cupped my face in his hand. He was thinking about how happy he was to see me feeling this way. He had been so worried about taking away my chance to have children. This was the closest we would get, and I was extremely content with that. I looked forward to the experiences we would have with her. I could hardly wait to see _them_ together.

"Sophie is more like you than you know." He was hesitant, so I blocked out his thoughts and waited for him to speak. "I was wondering how you would feel... if she wanted... to be like us?" I froze. I couldn't think. I didn't want to think about that. But why?

"Bella?" Edward had waited a while for my response, but I was speechless. I raised my hand, to let him know I was thinking and to please wait. He looked a little frustrated, but he waited. I was picturing Sophie growing up, making friends, going to school, having a boyfriend, her first kiss, gushing about it to me, crying when things didn't work out. All these things that made life... life. I couldn't imagine taking all that away from her, not right now.

"Edward, I... don't think we could. Not now, she has so much to... experience." I was confused. I was watching Edward's face, hoping he would say what I wanted to hear, that we would not do that to her. He began to smile. That only added frustration to my confusion. "Edward?"

"Don't you see?" I could see he was trying to control himself from smiling too much. I couldn't wait anymore for him to explain, so I looked into his mind. I took a deep breath as I began to understand what he was thinking. First, I was relieved to know he had no intention of agreeing to change her at this time, she was far too young. However, he wasn't decided about not doing it at a future date. That surprised me, but really, why should it, when he saw how well it worked out for me. The thing that caused him to smile was seeing me go through exactly what he did when I first suggested to him to change me. He did not want to take away all the life experiences that I didn't have yet. I sighed, recognizing the truth in his thinking. I had a greater understanding of what he went through with me.

"Wow. That is... complicated. I'm sorry I put you through all that, yet not sorry enough that you did do it. This is the way it's supposed to be, you and me. I also believe Sophie is supposed to be with us, but I am not yet convinced that her life is destined to be... like ours." I recognized one difference about my reason for not wanting to change her, I was not worried about her soul. I mean, I didn't think we were a lost cause. Especially after what happened over the last few days. Realizing there were more and more vampires out there who were making better choices, wanting to make the best of their situation. I felt like this was an epiphany.

"Edward, I have just realized something. I have even greater reason to hope that we, vampires, will one day find the rest that all people find. The incredible thirst for blood is a physical desire that is extremely strong, but controllable. We are proof. We, and now I see many others, have chosen to exercise greater self-control, making what we do less abominable. We feed on animals, just as humans do. Well, not exactly the same way, but same idea. We have a conscience, and we are always making decisions based on how it makes us feel. We have been given skills and gifts that can be used for bad or good, just as all people do. We are not so different, except maybe we are able to do more. We should do more." I paused to think about everything I just realized. Edward started to chuckle.

"With great power comes great responsibility." He spoke in an imitating, mocking tone. I started to laugh, too. "You still have that superhero mentality, don't you?" I knew he was joking, but I felt like there was more truth to it than he realized. "Bella, I really like what you have said. You made it sound so... believable. I hope, for both our sakes, that more and more vampires can realize it too. I guess we can spread the word, it can't hurt. Everyone needs a little hope. Especially those who didn't have a choice in the matter, this might ease some of the frustration and guilt." There was a hint of sadness in his tone at the end.

"Edward, you are all things beautiful and wonderful to me. Heaven is where you are." I lifted his hand up to my lips and kissed it. We sat quietly, simply feeling the love we both had for each other. We were getting close. I could feel the excitement building in both of us. We passed Sophie's house, and we were almost to the neighbors. I jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped. Edward was beside me the next second. We both took a deep breath, then approached the front door.

Before we took two steps, the front door flew open and Sophie came running full speed towards us. I opened my arms as she jumped onto me, wrapping her arms and legs around me tightly. She was laughing and saying a lot of things I didn't understand. I looked at Edward. He translated for me in his mind. Beatrice spoke to her on the phone, explaining that we were coming, and we would stay with her until she came back in a couple days. She once again tried to explain that her parents had gone where her grandparents had gone, and they would not be back. She asked Sophie if she would like to stay with us. Obviously, Sophie's reaction was her answer.

The neighbors came outside to bring her things. They hugged and kissed her, sharing their condolences with her. She seemed so mature, the way she was handling the death of her parents. I felt like we would have to deal with more, later, but right now, I was happy just to be with her. We buckled her in the back seat, then drove back to her house. I was afraid coming home might trigger sadness in her, but she appeared fine. We entered the house. Someone had been here. Not in the scary, vampire sense, but someone, probably the neighbor, had been in and cleaned. The windows were open, the evening air gently moving the sheer curtains. A lamp in one corner provided ample light for us to see with. Everything was straightened, and in it's place. It had a comfortable, homey feeling. Sophie ran past us, into her bedroom. I followed her, curiously. She sat on her bed, and pulled a little doll into her arms. When I got closer, I realized the doll was made of glass. I turned on the lamp next to her bed, and when the light hit the doll, rainbows lighted up the room. Edward entered, drawn by the sudden appearance of light. Sophie held up the doll and said "Tati," her nickname for Beatrice.

We were both curious as to how much she already knew about... vampires. Edward asked her a few questions to get her thinking, then he listened to her thoughts and I listened to his. Beatrice had not explained a lot, but she was very open with Sophie about her unique attributes. She did not hide everything she could do. Sophie was fascinated and very comfortable with it. That explained some of it. It made sense that a child would be so accepting of something different. Arnot had made the doll for Sophie. We could tell she cherished. it.

Sophie climbed down off the bed and went into the kitchen. There was a vase full of the wildflowers she had picked the other day. She pulled out a couple, and brought them to me. I leaned down and kissed her head. She then took hold of my hand and pulled me over to the couch. I sat down. She reached over and grabbed the blanket that was folded over the armrest, opened it up and wrapped herself in it. She then climbed onto my lap, and curled up on me. Edward stood watching us for a moment, his angelic face beaming at the sight of us. Then he came and sat next to me. I did the only thing I could think of at that moment, I began to hum my lullaby to her. Edward joined me. If there was a moment in time that I would want to freeze, it was this. We were a family.


	29. Getting Acquainted

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Getting Acquainted

Sophie started to stir. I smiled in anticipation of her waking up, finally. I don't know how Edward did it, watching me sleep and waiting for me to wake up. I was so impatient. At least Edward sat with me most of the night, which was wonderful. He left the room a little while ago to call Carlisle and find out where they were, and when we could expect them. He laughed at me before he left, watching me squirm every time Sophie moved. I knew better than to wake her, because I remember being cranky if I was awoken before I was ready. When she opened her eyes, I remained still, not wanting to startle her. She looked around the room, and when her eyes met mine, she extended her arms to me. I moved next to the bed and sat down on it, taking her hands in mine. She snuggled closer to me and drowsily whispered "Bonjour Bella." I had to concentrate on not picking her up and squeezing her... too hard.

Edward walked in, his face lighting up when he saw us. He came and sat on the other side of the bed. Sophie looked up at him, smiled, and placed one of her hands on his arm. He whispered to her that Beatrice and Arnot would arrive this afternoon. She smiled brightly. My smile, however, diminished slightly. I had to remind myself that she was coming with us and we would be together for a long time. She climbed out of bed and I wondered where she was going. Edward saw my face and smiled. He thought it was funny that I was so distracted that I forgot about her human needs. I smiled, too, when I realized that Sophie was hungry.

I sat in the kitchen fascinated with Sophie's independence. She went to the door and picked up the baguettes that were dropped off earlier by the neighbors. Then she got a plate,put it on the table, then she chose an apple and some grapes from the fruit basket and put them on her plate. She filled the tea kettle and placed it on the stove. But then she stopped, and turned to face me. I stood and lighted the stove for her. When the water was hot, I poured some into the cup she had placed on the table. She mixed in some hot chocolate mix and cream, then she sat down and began to eat. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Edward walked in and sat next to me. He wrapped his arms around me, kissed my cheek, and we both sat there watching her.

Edward mentioned that the rest of the family would arrive later this evening, and we would leave the following morning. I worried that it would be difficult for Sophie to leave so soon. Edward asked her if she would like to go on an airplane with us, and she nodded excitedly. That eased my mind a little, but I wasn't sure if she understood what it really meant. When she was done eating, she placed her dishes in the sink, and went to her room to change. When she left the kitchen, I turned to Edward and hugged him.

"Oh Edward, what did we do to be so lucky? She is... perfect. I didn't know I was capable of feeling this way about a... child. I was made whole with you, but she sort of magnifies it, making everything brighter. Does that make sense?" I wasn't sure if he knew what I meant.

"Perfectly, Bella. I dreamed of having a family before I became what I am. You've seen my thoughts, so if you think about it, you'll see my relationship with my parents. They were loving, attentive and kind. Even on their death beds, they thought of me. I wanted to know what that kind of love felt like. All those years alone, I began to lose hope that I would find any love, in any form. Then I met you. You were more than I could ever hope for. I have finally accepted the fact that you really are mine, and what we have is real and not imagined. Now, my dream is complete. All the pieces of the puzzle came together with you, but Sophie is like the glue that will hold it together. We need her as much as she will need us." It was silly of me to think Edward wouldn't understand me. He understood well, probably better than I did.

Sophie came back in and asked us to come outside with her. I could understand why her skin was so tan, she loved being outdoors. It was overcast today, but it was warm. We walked through the field, with Sophie walking between us, holding each of our hands. Every few steps we would lift her up into the air, and she would squeal with delight. We were headed towards the swing. When we got there, Sophie held it out for me. I sat down, then she climbed onto my lap. Edward pushed us. We were laughing and having a wonderful time. When we were finished swinging, we picked wild flowers and we played tag in the field. When Sophie was tired, Edward carried her on his back and we walked back towards the house.

Arnot and Beatrice were standing in front of the house when we arrived. When Sophie saw them, she slid down Edward's back and ran to them. They both scooped her up into their arms. She started to tell them about everything we had done. She was so excited and happy. Edward and I stood back, letting them share this moment, alone. They took her inside, and we decided to stay outside for a little while longer.

"Want to go for a run?" Edward asked excitedly. He knew I loved to run with him. I was still thrilled to be able to run and not fall. But it wasn't just that, it was exhilarating. We ran through the field, up into the hills, and into the woods. We slowed down when we saw some animals. We looked at each other, thinking it would be a good time to fill up. When we were done, we walked casually back to the house.

"Where are we going when we leave here?" I didn't know if we were going back to Forks, or Dartmouth. I'm sure Charlie would be surprised if we showed up again, in the middle of the term. How would I explain that?

"Where do you _want_ to go?" He seemed to sense my apprehension.

"I'm not sure, how much longer until the end of the term?"

"Five more weeks." That was still a long time. Honestly, I would rather go back to Forks, but I would need a good excuse. Edward was watching me closely, waiting for me to speak.

"I think I'll call Charlie and tell him that the issue Carlisle left to help with escalated, and we came to be with him. Then I will explain that there was a death in the family and that we acquired Sophie as a result." I felt pretty comfortable with that story. Edward continued to watch me closely.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" I thought about it for a few seconds.

"Yes. I am sure."

"How will you explain Sophie?"

"I will say that the whole family has taken her in, but we have chosen to be her main custodians." Edward began to smile.

"That sounds great." He paused, looking towards the house. "They're here. Alice is has something to tell you." We ran back to the house.

Alice and Jasper were standing outside together, leaning against the car in a rather intimate manner. I didn't want to interrupt, but Edward didn't hesitate. He approached them, as if to scare them. Alice turned around, smiling.

"Did you really think you could surprise us?" She laughed. "Hi Bella! I just wanted to let you know that Charlie will be fine with us returning again so soon. In fact, he'll be especially happy to meet Sophie. He's been missing you. I suggest you call him to give him a little warning." I took out my phone and dialed. Everyone went into the house, before Charlie answered. I explained to him what had happened and why we were coming home. He was concerned about school, but I told him we withdrew for personal reasons, and that it was early enough that it wouldn't affect our grades. I felt a little guilty about having to lie again, but I couldn't see another way around it. He was very curious about this young girl we were bringing home with us. I warned him that she didn't speak english, but I was learning french so I could speak with her. He was impressed with that. I felt better when I hung up.

When I walked into the house, I stopped and admired what I saw. Sophie was sitting on Edward's lap, and he was reading a book to her. I wanted to melt listening to him speak french with a perfect accent. As if he wasn't sexy enough. When Sophie saw me standing there, she motioned for me to come sit next to them. I did. Both Sophie and I were totally engrossed in listening to Edward read the story, but for different reasons. I could feel the others watching us. I looked up to see pleased looks on everyone's faces. Beatrice, in particular, looked quite content. Even as Edward continued to read, he was telling me in his thoughts that Beatrice had talked to Sophie about coming to live with us. Sophie was ready and happy to come, knowing if she ever wanted, Beatrice would come to visit, or we would come and visit her here. I was feeling more and more excited to leave.

The next morning, we all piled into the suburban to head to the airport. Sophie had a few tears in her eyes as we drove away. I noticed she held her doll tightly in her arms. I pulled her closer to me. She tucked her head under my arm and remained quiet for the entire drive. I didn't bother her, knowing she needed some time to adjust. She was a little more animated when we arrived at the airport. We drew attention to ourselves on a normal basis, but as we walked through the airport this time, we seemed to draw a lot more attention than usual. This time, instead of the looks of shock and wonder that we usually received, people were smiling. Their eyes were drawn to the bronze haired beauty walking in the middle of us... and it wasn't Edward. The mere presence of Sophie seemed to change the way we were perceived. It was wonderful. She was going to be a special asset to our family. I could hardly wait to show her off.


	30. Grandpere

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Grand-pere

It felt good to be home again, this time without the weight of the Volturi in the back of my mind. Carlisle informed us of the progress Tristan, Trevor, and Arnot were already making. Between the three of them, they were respected and were able to gain the trust of many doubtful vampires. They had selected six of the twelve regional leaders already. More were coming each day to offer their services or help. I was surprised at how quickly the word was spreading. I could only hope everything would continue peacefully. I was leaning against the headrest when I noticed something. I turned to look at Edward and smiled. He was driving slowly, conservatively even for a human. He was thinking about Sophie, and making her feel safe. I didn't understand how his desire to protect her could make me feel more loved. It felt incredible.

It was evening when we arrived in Forks. Sophie seemed fascinated with all the street lights. I guess it was a lot brighter than her country home. Edward was wondering where we should go first. I felt like visiting Charlie. Edward looked at me, read the look on my face and headed to Charlie's house. I looked at the time when we pulled into the driveway. He would probably be watching the news. Edward explained to Sophie where we were and who we were visiting, my dad Charlie. We weren't sure what she should call him just yet. I knocked lightly as I opened the front door.

"Hello? Dad?" I hoped we weren't waking him. "It's us, Bella, Edward, and Sophie."

Charlie must have been dozing on the recliner, because he drowsily came around the living room corner wiping his eyes. "Bella? Bella! You made it! Welcome back. Hello, Edward." Then he stopped to look down at the pretty little girl half showing from behind me. "You must be Sophie. Bienvenue." He must have been practicing that all day, he pronounced it pretty well. Sophie's face lit up when she heard him speak french. She came out from behind me and walked up to Charlie. She reached for his hand and pulled on it, indicating to him to bend down. When his face was at her level, she leaned forward and kissed both his cheeks, then she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. Edward placed his hands affectionately on my shoulders. My mind was filled with warm, tender feelings. Charlie looked at me, his look surprised, but happy.

"Bonsoir, grand-pere." Edward and I were stunned, not expecting to hear Sophie say that. Yet, it felt natural, and sweet. Charlie didn't mind. We all walked back into the living room. Edward and I sat on the couch. Charlie sat back down on the recliner. Sophie walked over to the wall, looking at the pictures of me growing up. She turned a few times to look at me, then back at the photos. Edward reached over and squeezed my hand. He was listening to Sophie's thoughts, and she was admiring my growth into a beautiful woman. She was hoping she would grow up and be beautiful, too. I wasn't quite sure what to make of that, yet.

"So, tell me about Europe, how was your first visit to France?" Charlie looked very interested in knowing about our trip.

"It is beautiful, better than the movies. We didn't get to spend much time in Paris. Edward's... relatives live in a town outside of Paris. Carlisle also had some business in Florence, Italy, so we went with him there. That was exciting. Of course, it wasn't all fun and sightseeing. I didn't really know Sophie's parents, but they must have been really great people, because we can tell Sophie was really loved."

Sophie had come and climbed up on my lap. I felt her shiver. Edward excused himself, and ran up to my room. He came back quickly carrying a blanket. I wrapped her up, then she cuddled up on my lap. When she was settled, I looked up to see Charlie watching me, with wonder in his eyes. He shook his head almost imperceptibly, touched at seeing me in this new light. Edward was pleased because Charlie was thinking what great parents we would be.

"So, how long will you be here?" Charlie wondered.

"Well, the next term doesn't start for another 7 weeks, so I guess we don't have any reason to return there until then." I waited to see his reaction.

"That's wonderful! It will be so nice to have you around for a little while." He looked really pleased. "Will everyone be here?" I began to laugh.

"Yes, everyone will be here. We all met up in France, and we all returned here. We wanted to spend some time together, for Sophie's sake." It made me so happy to see Charlie smiling. I knew he liked it when Alice was around, but he was also getting to know the rest of the family. Suddenly, I noticed his face freeze, like he remembered something.

"What's wrong dad?" I looked briefly at Edward, then realized why Charlie froze. I forced myself to wait for his response.

"Did you know Jacob is getting married?" He asked very hesitantly, expecting a negative response from either Edward or myself.

"That's wonderful! I met her, you know? Sara. She seems... perfect for him. When is the wedding?" I watched as his face relaxed, before he answered.

"Three weeks. It will be at First Beach. I could check... if you guys... can come." This was awkward.

"It's okay dad. It's not a big deal. Please give them our congratulations when you see them." I smiled reassuringly at him. Deep down inside, I was thinking it would be nice to see Jake tie the knot, to see him happy, and committed. But I wasn't exactly sure what the status of our "treaty" was anymore. How would the absence of the Volturi, and the establishment of new rules affect it, if it did? It would be nice if we could come to a new agreement, one that would allow us to live more peaceable together. Especially considering that we have worked so well as allies in the past.

I could feel Edward's eyes on me, wishing he could read my mind. Sophie was falling asleep, so we decided we should probably go home. Charlie was sad to see us leave, but he knew we would be around for a while. He asked if we would come by tomorrow. I told him to come by our place, so he could see everyone. He really liked that idea. Edward took Sophie from my arms because he sensed Charlie wondering how effortlessly I was carrying her. He wished us a safe drive home and we left.

Once we were in the car, I asked Edward all the questions that went through my head in the house. I could see his relief as I shared my private thoughts with him. He didn't have any answers, but he felt they were valid questions that we should bring up with Carlisle, and possibly Jacob. I wasn't sure if I wanted to call a meeting with Jacob yet, at least not before he was married. I didn't want him to know we were here, in case he felt obligated to invite us, or worse, we weren't invited regardless. Besides, if it was going to take place at First Beach, I wasn't sure if we'd be allowed on their lands anyway. I had not anticipated _this_ happening when I decided to come back to Forks.

The house was such a welcome sight. It was bright and full of movement. I wondered what was going on. When we walked in, Emmett was carrying a huge box up the stairs. Jasper was right behind him with another box. Alice was upstairs somewhere, yelling instructions to them. Emmett rolled his eyes at us. I looked at Edward for answers. He was carrying Sophie and proceeded to the couch. Alice had the intuition to order furniture for Sophie's room. She was speedily fixing up a room for her. Everything was ready, except the bed frame, and dresser. I sped up the stairs to see. I could see Alice was going to have a lot of fun with Sophie in the house.

The room was transformed into a princess cottage. Emmett was putting up the last part of the canopy bed frame. Alice was already draping the sheer material over the top. The bed was covered with a lovely quilt, and lots of pillows and stuffed animals. Sophie was going to love it. I could hardly wait for her to see it. I thanked Alice then went back downstairs to let Edward know the room was ready. He was already headed up the stairs. I kissed him on the cheek as he passed me. Jasper was behind him carrying her suitcase. I saw Rose downstairs, carrying bags into the kitchen. That intrigued me. I walked into the kitchen to find Esme and Rose putting groceries away into the fridge and cupboards. I thanked them for thinking of that. I felt so happy to be home, surrounded by the people I loved. Edward came in and wrapped his arms around me. He brought his mouth next to my ear and whispered, "we're home, shall we celebrate?" I smiled, pulled him out of the kitchen, and up the stairs. It was good to be home.


	31. Treaty

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Treaty

Edward held me prisoner in his arms through the night. Of course, I didn't mind the jail or my life sentence. I was just worried. He kept telling me that Sophie would be fine, and I didn't need to be in the room with her. I was afraid she would wake up disoriented and scared. Edward convinced me that we would hear any noise she made, so I didn't have to be in there. I never thought the day would come when something could drag me away from Edward's arms. Well, not really, I wanted him _with_ me in her room. It was her first morning in a new house, I wanted her to be comfortable.

I finally heard her starting to move in her bed. Edward smiled as he released me, then pulled me back into his arms for one last memorable kiss. It was difficult to leave him after that, but he gently pushed me away, knowing how I felt about Sophie's first morning. I opened the door slowly and approached the bed cautiously. Sophie had her face against the pillow, then when her face turned to me, she was smiling. She looked happy. I whispered as I asked her how she was this morning. She replied that she was fine, but hungry. I picked her up in a hug, then put her down as we walked down the stairs hand in hand. Edward was already in the kitchen, the tea kettle on the stove, and fresh bread and fruit on the table. Sophie was so pleased, she ran up to him and jumped up into his arms, showering his cheeks with kisses. Edward looked so content.

"Good morning, how are you today?" I looked wide eyed at Edward, shocked to hear Sophie speaking english. It was so cute with her accent. She looked very proud, demonstrating her swift grasp of the english language. I guess it was a good idea for her to start learning english, considering where we would be spending most of our time. However, I still wanted to learn french so we could help her preserve her first language. "Thank you, very much," she said as she sat at the table. She was speaking to Edward as much as showing off her new language skills. I was very impressed. Once again, Edward and I sat there watching her eat. Edward was thinking about the times he watched me eat. My diet was not as colorful as Sophie's. He was always puzzled by my repetitive consumption of cereal and pop tarts. He wondered how long it would be before Sophie discovered those American staples.

Carlisle walked in and greeted us. I couldn't decipher the look on his face. I looked at Edward, worried. Esme came in and sat down on the other side of Sophie. Edward leaned forward and kissed Sophie on the cheek, then told her we would be in the next room. I stood up with him, and we followed Carlisle out of the kitchen and into the living room. I was surprised to find Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and Rose waiting. My first thought was that something was wrong with Tristan and the new government, but Edward wasn't thinking about that. Then I sank down into the couch. It was Jacob. Of course, they were aware that we were back, and he wanted to meet with us. Alice looked sad and upset that she couldn't see anything concerning this because she couldn't see werewolves. It made me nervous.

"Sam came to see me this morning, before I left the hospital. He asked if we could meet at the baseball field today. There are things that they want to discuss. That was all he said." Carlisle remained very calm as he spoke, showing neither worry nor concern. Emmett looked excited, but Jasper and Alice looked a little worried. Edward was the only one who smiled. I was surprised.

"Would you like to share your thoughts with all of us, Edward?" I asked, so everyone would know.

"I think this is the perfect opportunity for us to discuss a new treaty. I believe that if we explain to them everything that has happened, they might be more willing to accept some new terms. The timing couldn't be better. Everyone is sure to be in good spirits with the upcoming nuptials, and they have shown us considerable understanding in the past. I think we have Bella to thank for that." Everyone looked at me as Edward ended his little speech.

"Me? What did I do? I have been the cause of hurt and sadness to them, not to mention endangering them, I hardly need to be thanked for that!" I didn't want to be reminded of everything I did to them, or at least to Jacob.

"Bella, I don't think you understand what you stand for. Yes, it is unfortunate about... Jacob, but as you can see, he is happy now. However, your relationship with him opened up lines of communication that never would have happened any other way. It is because of you that they even considered being our allies. I think we have a real chance of establishing a new, more _friendly_ treaty." I was surprised at how confident Edward spoke about this. Yet, at the same time, I found myself believing that it was possible. I would love to be on friendlier terms with them.

"So, I'll call him and tell him that we'll be there." Carlisle stood up and walked towards the window as he dialed. I looked at Alice, wishing we could see how this was going to go. She gave me a "sorry, I wish I could help" look. I would just have to trust in Edward. When Carlisle got off the phone, he told us that Sam thought it best if the whole family came, as the whole pack would be there too. We had one little problem: Sophie.

"I'll call Charlie, I'm sure he'd be willing to watch Sophie while we go to the meeting." Everyone nodded in agreement. I think Charlie would be thrilled to spend some time with her. I called for him at work. They told me he was out on a call, but they would let him know to drop by our place. I looked forward to seeing him. I went back into the kitchen to check on Sophie. She was just finishing up. I tried to explain in my broken french that we were going to go somewhere, but she would be with Charlie.

"Charlie? Grand-pere? Oui!" She looked excited. I was starting to worry about how they would communicate, but then changed my mind. They would work it out. We headed upstairs so she could get dressed. Alice followed us into the room. She watched as we went through her clothes.

"Looks like it's time for a shopping trip! Maybe we can go later today?!" I don't think Sophie understood what Alice meant, so I explained. When her face lit up, I knew she got it. That made Alice happy. Rose glided in and sat on the edge of the bed. She glanced around the room with a nostalgic look.

"My room was similar to this." She wasn't really talking to us as much as just talking out loud. Sophie walked over to Rose, and leaned into her, gently hugging her. Rosalie stroked her hair tenderly. I brought over a brush and some clips and held them out in my hand for Rosalie. She looked at me with grateful eyes. She took the items and began to brush Sophie's hair. They both looked very content.

I heard the doorbell and rushed down the stairs. Edward was about to answer, but stopped when he saw my excitement. I opened the door to see Charlie standing there, looking rather anxious. "Is everything alright?" He was thinking that maybe something happened to Sophie. He had not expected to hear from us so soon, and then to have the dispatcher call him and tell him I wanted to see him, worried him.

"Everything is fine, dad. I have a favor to ask if you don't mind. Come in." He walked in, looking around. There were two people he was looking for in particular. His face beamed when he saw Alice and Sophie walking down the stairs together, looking pretty and perfect.

"Alice! Sophie!" Sophie let go of Alice's hand to run into Charlie's now extended arms. My lips trembled slightly watching them. Alice came over and touched his cheek as she passed. Charlie's face turned pink. Edward looked at me, remembering how much he loved it when I used to blush. Charlie set Sophie down, but held onto her hand. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, something has come up, and we need to take care of it, so I was wondering if you could keep an eye on Sophie for a little while?" I could see by the look on Charlie's face what his answer would be.

"Of course. Just give me a call when you are done." He then turned to Sophie and asked her if she would enjoy riding in a police cruiser. She didn't understand him, but she smiled anyway. Edward quickly translated for her, then she really beamed. Charlie looked absolutely thrilled. He was thinking that he couldn't wait to go show her off in town.

"Thank you!" I called after them. He just smiled as he walked out the door with Sophie by his side. "See you later!" When the door closed, I turned and hugged Edward. "I'm so happy. Let's get this over with so we can get back.

Everyone gathered in the living room before we headed out. It was nice because there was a feeling of optimism in the air. Even Emmett seemed to be more excited for a peaceful, friendly treaty, than the threat of the dissolution of the previous treaty, and possible repercussions. Surely we wouldn't be called out to fight, not with Jacob's wedding approaching so soon. I could not decide, or barely think about, who would win if we were to fight. Either way, I could not deal with loss on either side. Edward would do everything in his power to prevent something like that from happening.

Edward and I rode in the jeep with Emmett and Rosalie. Carlisle drove his car with the others. We drove as close as we could, then ran the rest of the way. We arrived before them, so we sat on the field waiting. A slight breeze let us know that they had arrived. We all stood up, forming a semi-circle around Carlisle and Esme. We watched as the shadowy figures emerged from the trees. They walked in a "V" formation, with Sam and Jacob walking at the forefront.

I smiled when I saw Jacob. He was smiling, too. I was surprised that when they stopped, Jacob stepped forward. Edward quickly whispered to me that Jacob had finally decided to take his place as the leader of the pack. Sam was very supportive of his decision. I felt more hopeful, now, that we would be able to establish friendlier ties.

"Thank you for meeting with us." Although Jacob looked the same, his voice was different. He spoke with confidence and power. "Things have changed, and we want to know what your intentions are." He glanced at me when he mentioned change, but he didn't look upset. He looked at Edward and waited for a minute. We all waited patiently to know what he would say next. I listened to Edward's thoughts and realized Jacob was talking only to him. As the leader of the pack, Jacob was torn between being a powerful, honor seeking leader, or one who led the pack in a quiet, peaceful way. Both ways appealed to him, but this was the moment when he would decide which one he would be. Edward contemplated what Jacob was thinking, then raised his hand to be recognized.

"Jacob, will you speak to me, alone?" Edward started walking off to the side of the group. Jacob followed. When they were away from the group, but not isolated, they finally spoke. I listened in on their conversation. Edward explained to Jacob about our trip to Italy, and everything that occurred there. He told him about the new leadership and the progress we were already seeing with many of the vampires. He told him what our plans were, to go to school, but return here for several more years, until it was absolutely imperative for us to move away. He mentioned that our main reason for returning here during the breaks and holidays was for me to be near Charlie. Jacob looked over at me a few times while Edward was speaking. He was thinking that he has been under a lot of pressure from the elders to be strict with us, to stick by the terms of the original treaty. Some of them were upset that they continued to honor the treaty even after I was changed. His last thought was that the main reason he was considering the alternative was because of me. When they were done speaking, they returned to our groups.

Jacob stood still and proud as he made this announcement to both us and to his pack. "The time has come for a new beginning. Events have transpired that require changes. Some of our traditions and beliefs have been challenged, and found wanting. Our foes have fought beside us as allies. Our enemy has nursed our wounds. Our differences were set aside temporarily without detriment to our identities. We have endured much, and rejoiced much, for the same causes. Our common ties are strong. It is time to build on those strengths, and the good we have found in each other. I believe our lives will be better if we choose to live peaceably." There was silence, yet in that silence, was acceptance. I looked at each member of the pack, a smile of immeasurable gratitude on my face. Their smiles were proof to me that they supported Jacob and were in agreement. Carlisle approached Jacob, with his hand extended. Jacob reached out and shook his hand. I was so proud of him. This is what he was meant to become.

As everyone slowly dispersed, Jacob lingered. Edward thanked him, then looked at me briefly, then turned and walked away. We were left alone. I walked up to Jacob and stood there in front of him, unable to speak. Suddenly, he pushed my shoulder almost knocking me off balance. I responded with a swift jab to his chest. Then we both started laughing. "Why didn't you tell me you guys were going to go kick butt in Italy? We could have come! You kept all the fun for yourself!" He was mocking, yet I could sense there was some truth in it too.

"Sorry, I didn't want to get you involved. We weren't sure if we'd be able to do it." I tried to hide the memory of doubt I had before facing the Volturi. Jacob watched my face carefully.

"There is something different about you. You are... happy, but there's more to it. Care to share?"

"Well, we brought something, well, someone home with us when we returned from France. Her parents, unfortunately didn't make it. She is very sweet." I wasn't sure how much to say. He was distracted by a wolf call in the distance, so he was distracted from what I was saying.

"Sorry Bells, gotta go. Hey, I don't have time to send an invite, but why don't you and Edward come with Charlie to my... you know... wedding." The word wedding seemed so foreign coming out of his mouth. I smiled.

"I would love to. Thank you. We'll see you around?!" I wondered if that was really possible.

"Yeah, why not?! Take care." He grinned before he turned and ran off into the shade. I felt euphoric again, as everything seemed to be working out. I pulled out my phone to call Charlie to let him know we were on our way, and he could meet us at the house. When he answered, I could hear Sophie laughing in the background. There were other children laughing, too. When I asked him where he was, I froze when I heard him answer. He was at La Push. Billy had invited him over since Jacob and his friends were out for the day. He said Sophie was having a wonderful time playing with some of the children on the reservation. He invited us to join him, but I made up an excuse about being tired after the long trip and asked if he would drop Sophie off when he could. Of course he agreed, but he didn't tell me when he would bring her back. I was sad when I hung up the phone. Edward was by my side immediately, noticing the sadness on my face.

"Charlie has Sophie with him at La Push. They're having a good time. He'll bring her home later." I didn't mean to sound so pathetic and sad, but I couldn't help it. Edward stopped and stood in front of me. He lifted my chin up with the side of his finger.

"You are an adorable, sweet, momma. Please allow me to make you happy while she is away?!" He leaned in and kissed me until all I could think of was being alone with him, back in our own room.

"What are you waiting for, then?" I teased as I took off running back towards the jeep.


	32. Play Date

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Play Date

Sophie came running into the house, so excited about her afternoon at La Push with her new friends. Charlie followed her in with a sheepish look on his face for keeping her out for so long. "I hope you don't mind, she was having such a great time, and then Jacob and his fiancee took her down to the beach, and I lost track of time. Then Billy invited us for dinner, and... well, I'm sorry." I was smiling down at Sophie who had wrapped her arms around my waist, but my mind was still thinking about Jacob meeting Sophie. 

"It's fine dad, next time, feel free to call and let me know." I winked at him so he would know I wasn't angry. Edward came over and took Sophie's hand as I walked toward Charlie to walk him out. "Thanks a lot dad. I really appreciate it."

"Did you get everything done that you needed? Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, in fact, it went really well. So... I didn't have a chance to tell Jacob about Sophie... how did you introduce her?" Charlie looked confused, then understanding seemed to dawn on him.

"Ah, that explains it. Jacob saw me first, then when Sophie ran in, he looked... confused. Sara speaks some french, so Sophie would come to her whenever she needed something explained. Sara actually introduced her to Jacob as my grand daughter because she heard her call me "grand-pere." Yeah, Jacob looked really confused, but he tried to hide it. Anyway, that's when Sara volunteered to take her down to the beach, and Jacob went along. I thought it was a little peculiar, the way he kept looking at her. I'm sure he figured out that she's not really your daughter, I mean with how old she is, but I have to add, the family resemblance to Edward is pretty amazing." He nodded, like it was all coming together.

"You don't mind being called... grandpa, do you?" I wasn't completely sure he was okay with it. He just smiled.

"Of course not, it's actually, kind of nice. I didn't get to spend much time with you when you were that age, so it... feels good." He looked apologetic, mentioning how little time he spent with me when I was young. That wasn't really his fault. I gave him a quick hug and stood by the door, waving as he drove off.

I came in to find Sophie and Edward sitting on the couch, Edward completely engrossed in what she was saying. She was speaking so quickly in french that there was no way I could keep up with it. I smiled, thinking about the first times I heard Edward speaking so quickly, it could have easily been a foreign language. I relied on Edward's translation through his thoughts. She loved the beach, the feel of the sand between her toes. She liked the constant sound of the ocean lapping on the shore. She liked Sara, the girl who could understand her, but spoke with a different accent. She also liked the big guy with the gentle brown eyes, who was quiet, but had a warm smile. She hoped we would take her back there so she could play with her new friends. She didn't have many children her age to play with back in France. The food here was different, but good. She decided that she liked it here.

When she finally stopped speaking, she leaned across Edward's lap, yawning. I came over and picked her up, then carried her up to her room to get her ready for bed. She was really worn out. Changing her clothes was like dressing a rag doll, her arms and legs felt like dead weight. As I slipped her dress over her arms, my fingers tickled her skin and she began to giggle. When she was dressed and tucked in bed, I sat there staring at her beautiful little face. I moved some of her hair that was covering part of her face, and she reached up and held my hand against her face. She drowsily whispered that I was cold. I tried to pull my hand away, but she had a good grip on it and kept it against her face. She then whispered that she liked it. I sighed, thinking that was odd, but, I felt the same way once. She was almost asleep, so I did what felt natural, I started to hum.

I came down to find Carlisle and Edward in deep conversation. Alice was sitting nearby and just shrugged her shoulders. I assumed it involved Jacob and the pack. Edward smiled when he saw me. He informed me that Jacob had called and wanted to meet to announce the new terms of the treaty. He had spoken to the elders, and although they weren't in complete agreement with Jacob's idea, they had enough respect for both Billy and Jacob to honor his decision. The amazing part was that they were inviting us onto their land for the meeting. It would be held tomorrow evening on the cliffs above first beach. I was about to suggest that I call Charlie and ask him if he would watch Sophie again tomorrow evening when Edward interrupted my thought and added that Sara had asked if we would bring Sophie, so she could play with the kids there. I was stunned, but at the same time, I appreciated her request.

I was staring out our bedroom window for a while before Edward finally had enough and asked me what I was thinking. I rolled back to face him and smiled. "I was just thinking about how fortunate I am to have you. We've been through _a lot_ in the few years since we met. It feels like a lifetime of experiences packed into a short period of time. Yet, we have eternity to go. There is so much to see and do, but I don't feel rushed, and I especially like knowing that you will be with me the whole time." I moved closer to him. "You give me a reason to exist. Every moment that I am aware of my existence, I see you there with me. We are one, as far as I am concerned."

"Yes, we are, and always will be." He pulled me tightly against him, smothering my lips with his. "It will always be like this, you know," he paused kissing me to speak. "My insatiable desire for you, my undying love, my undivided devotion, it will always be for you and only you." My body went weak as he spoke those words. I knew he meant it. I felt the same way. I thought about all the fortuitous events that happened over the last several days, and something inside me swelled. The joy of our union that night surpassed anything I felt before. I really didn't want the night to end.

As the sun rose the next morning, I began thinking about where we would be going in the evening. We were meeting on the cliffs, on Quileute land. It brought back a lot of different memories, but they weren't painful anymore. I actually looked forward to seeing everyone, young, old, male, and female. I hoped they would accept me as I am, now. My thoughts were interrupted by Sophie's voice calling for me. I jumped out of bed, pulled on a robe, and went to her bedroom. To my surprise, Rosalie was sitting quietly on a chair in the room, in a darkened corner where she was unnoticed by Sophie. I gave Sophie a hug, then asked her what she would like for breakfast. When she gave me her order, I waved to Rosalie to come.

"Would you mind getting Sophie dressed? I need to get myself ready, also." Rose smiled, a warm, thankful smile.

"I would love to. Thank you." She touched my arm, affectionately. Then she turned to Sophie. "Bonjour ma belle Sophie!" I could see that Rosalie was going to be a great help. She had a strong maternal desire. I felt sad for a brief moment, and then decided to just be grateful that Sophie was a part of our family now.

We spent the day shopping in Port Angeles. Alice dragged us into every store that had anything remotely for children. She found some new bedding with matching... everything. Not to mention all the outfits. I had to remind her that little girls tend to grow, so at this rate, she would have to change every few hours in order to wear all these clothes before she outgrows them. Edward was such a good sport and carried all the bags. I was surprised that Sophie actually kept up with Alice. They looked so cute holding hands and skipping down the sidewalk between shops. Edward had to remind Alice that we needed to stop so Sophie could eat something.

We introduced her to the icon of American food fare, McDonalds. As expected, she thoroughly enjoyed the chicken nuggets, french fries, and soft drink we got for her. She expressed that she really liked McDonalds and hoped this wasn't the only one. We all just laughed when she said that. She seemed to be picking up more and more english words every minute. At the same time, Edward continued to help me learn more french. We stopped and got an ice cream cone for Sophie before we headed back home. She fell asleep almost immediately upon entering the car. I was glad that she would have a nap before we went to La Push this evening.

I called Charlie, to see what his plans were for the evening. There was a baseball game on that he wanted to watch. I was glad. I told him we'd try and do something together tomorrow. We drove in two cars over to La Push. Emmett was the only one who was bouncing with excitement to be on the reservation. Edward was thinking about the time he came with Carlisle, when Jacob had been injured. Jasper remained exceptionally quiet, while Alice and Rosalie acted indifferent.

Sophie became more animated as we drove nearer to a group of children playing. Sara emerged from the house and approached the car. Sophie and I got out.

"Hello Sara. It's nice to see you again. How are you?" I watched as she shyly avoided my eyes, but reached out easily to take Sophie's hand.

"I am well, thank you. Welcome... back. Thank you for bringing Sophie. The children are so excited for their play date. I will keep an eye on them while you are... meeting." She looked into the car, then non-intentionally moved back away from it.

"Thank you. Have a good time Sophie! See you soon!" I turned to go back to the car when I felt her arms wrap around me from the back. I turned around and bent down to hug her properly. Edward reached his hand out the car window, and she reached up and held onto his hand. As I held her, I saw Jacob standing in the doorway of the house. I could not see the look on his face because he stood in a shadow. However, Edward heard his thoughts, and he was pleasantly shocked at the sight of us with Sophie. He was actually happy to see me behaving so... normal. I smiled, hoping he would see and know that I knew what he was thinking. He quickly moved out of the door way, so I couldn't see him anymore.

We pulled up to the meeting place, marked by the large pile of wood that would serve as a bonfire later. This reminded me of the night when I learned all about the tribe's legends and stories. I felt a sudden surge of power, because I knew the secrets of both vampires and werewolves. As a human, I was trusted with the knowledge of both of these remarkable creatures. Now, I was _one_ of them, but I still retained a clear memory of both histories. I guess knowledge is power, because I felt like I had the power to help make things right.

As everyone slowly gathered, I watched the faces of the people I got to know well. They were tentative, but when I would smile, they would break a smile for me. It made me feel better. Billy and Jacob were last to arrive. We formed a large circle, in front of the wood pile. The eight of us facing about twenty-four of the them. We were seated on logs and large tree branches. The wind was starting to pick up when Jacob stood to address everyone.

"We are here to establish a new treaty. My great-grandfather helped establish the first treaty, forbidding you onto our land, and keeping your secret as long as you maintained your diet of animals instead of humans. Another part of that treaty was that you could not _bite_ a human, whether to kill, or to change. You have not kept your part." He was looking at me. "However, I feel a little responsible for that, too. My immature, unschooled emotions revealed too much before I truly understood everything. I also did not understand the power of... love. I believe we have gone on long enough basing our judgments on old traditions and knowledge. We have all evolved. It is time to recognize all the good, and forgive the mistakes of our forefathers. We have the power to protect our people if we should ever need to, but I believe that the threat is now diminished, if not gone. Your family has proven worthy allies, and... friends. You are welcome on our lands. We hold no malice towards you."

I couldn't resist, I ran up to him and hugged him. I could feel the eyes of every person there, focused on us. I looked up to see Jacob turning his head away from me. "Sorry Bells, the new treaty doesn't make you smell any better!" After a brief moment of silence, laughter broke out among both groups. I backed up and jabbed him in the chest before he grinned at me. Carlisle came and stood next to me.

"Bella, would you help me do the honors?" I wasn't sure what Carlisle was talking about. Just then, Jacob handed a piece of burning wood to Carlisle, and he placed my hand on the stick next to his hand. Then we walked to the pile of wood. Everyone had moved away to make room for us. We stuck the burning wood at the base of the pile. It quickly became engulfed in flames, dancing embers of blue, red, orange, and yellow. I could hear a low chant coming from the elders of the group. Edward translated that they were offering a prayer to their ancestors to honor the treaty that has been made. We stood there staring into the flames when Edward turned to look at Jacob, then looked at me, his face wild with excitement. When I saw what they were thinking, I got excited too. We quickly told the others. Only Emmett, Jasper, and Alice were game. All the Quileute boys wanted to be a part of it, too. The boys all stripped down to shorts, but Alice and I remained fully clothed. Then we all ran towards the end of the cliff, jumping in unison off the edge, screaming just for the fun of it.


	33. Inconceivable

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Inconceivable

The water felt so good. Edward and I dove down deep and enjoyed ourselves a little before heading back up to the surface. When we came up, some of the boys were there, looking worried. Once we explained that we didn't have to breathe, they thought it was really cool. We raced back to shore so we could climb up and jump again. We drew all kinds of looks from those who remained around the fire as they watched us all running, pushing, and teasing each other. Not long ago, this would have been inconceivable. Yet here we were, acting like a bunch of children, having a great time.

When we came back up the second time, I was happy to see Sara had arrived with the younger children. They were playing games around the fire. When Sophie saw me, she ran up and hugged me. She released me rather quickly when she felt my wet clothes. She then dragged me over to her friends, to introduce me. I recognized a lot of the children, however, they seemed more reluctant to come close. But as they watched Sophie, they quickly warmed up to me. Soon, they were all hanging onto me, laughing as I lifted and twirled several of them at one time.

"Are you showing off?" Edward's velvety voice surprised me. His arms slid around my waist as his lips tickled the hairs on my ear. "Do you know how adorable you look playing with all these children? I didn't think you could look any... more... sexy than you already do. Want to jump off the cliff again? Just us, this time?" I closed my eyes, imagining what we could do down there... alone.

"Oh Bella, just go, I'll play with them a while!" Alice rolled her eyes at me as she walked past us to the children. Edward and I turned and walked away to the sounds of laughter as the children jumped all over Alice.

Rosalie carried Sophie into the house since my clothes were grainy from the dried sea salt. Edward and I went straight to our room to shower and get cleaned up. As soon as we were dressed, we went in to wish Sophie a good night sleep. We walked in to see Sophie kneeling on top of her bed, her hands pressed together in front of her, fingers pointing up. She was whispering a prayer of thanks. Edward held me as we listened to her pray. She prayed for Him to take care of her parents in heaven, and Beatrice and Arnot back in France. She thanked Him for her new family, and her new friends. She ended her prayer, then lay down under the covers. I walked over and kissed her forehead. She mumbled something about having a fun day and hoping to see Charlie tomorrow. Then she was asleep.

Edward and I walked down to Carlisle's office. Before entering, I stopped to look at the wooden cross that belonged to Carlisle's father. I was not religious, never went to church, but listening to Sophie's prayer got me thinking. Carlisle was sitting at his desk, talking on the phone with the hospital. When he got off the phone, he gave us all of his attention.

"Well done, you two. I never thought I would see the day when vampires and werewolves would sit around a fire, talking and... playing. It was amazing, and I have been around a long time, I've seen a lot of things, but that was amazing." He stood up and walked over to stand in front of me. "You are more special than anyone could ever have guessed. A greater power led you here, to us. You brought hope, a new beginning for us, and for our new friends. I'm glad you found each other." He had placed a hand on each one of our arms.

"A greater power. You still believe in that? After everything that has happened?" I asked.

"Even more, now. You don't understand, I do not think we are bad by nature. Our minds are the same as when we were human. Our bodies have changed, bringing with it an insatiable desire for human blood. It is like an addiction that can consume and destroy us, as well as those around us. When I say destroy us, I mean our souls, because it goes against what we know deep down inside is right. With a little help, we can overcome this addiction and live a fulfilling life. We are witnesses to that. We will stand as examples to other vampires who don't know better. Even now, Tristan is working hard to spread this message of hope to our kind. I believe it will be widely accepted. At least, I can hope so." Carlisle looked thoughtfully at the pictures and paintings that represented the many decades of his existence.

"I hope so, too." I looked at all the paintings on the wall and noticed that one was missing. Carlisle watched me scan the room for it, then explained.

"I took it down. Their... reign is over. I do not regret that they are gone, but I could not bear having them on the wall any longer. It is put away, only to be brought out for a history lesson, if need be." He smiled, then placed his hand on my shoulder. "I would like to replace that painting with one of you two. It will mark the new dawn."

Edward and I smiled, feeling humbled to have Carlisle pay us so much respect.

"None of this could have happened without you." I said quietly.

"You are correct in only one thing, the day I changed Edward was the best decision of my life." He and Edward shared a tender moment as they looked into each other's eyes. We walked away I awe.

We were happy to find Jasper and Alice sitting in the living room.

"Where are Emmett and Rose?" I asked, looking at Alice.

"Oh, they needed some time... alone. Emmett apparently didn't pay enough attention to Rose tonight. He was having so much fun playing with the dogs... I mean, boys. You know, they are already talking about meeting regularly to keep up their 'fighting skills.' Isn't that right, Jasper?!" She elbowed Jasper who was trying to look inconspicuous.

"Yeah, so? We thought it would be fun, and it wouldn't hurt to be prepared. You know, we can't expect that everything is going to work out perfectly. Not every vampire is going to just jump on the wagon. We still could meet some... rebels. That's life. But, we will be prepared to defend our land." I smiled at Jasper when he was done speaking. I liked how he called this "our" land. He included La Push.

"Maybe we could strike up a baseball game with them during the next storm?" Edward chimed in, looking at Alice for a weather update.

"Yeah! What a great idea!" Jasper looked excited. Alice was trying to focus.

"In a few days. There's a system moving this way." Alice spoke monotonously. Then she seemed to pop back into the moment. "I was really hoping that maybe the new treaty would include my being able to see them in my visions, but... no!" I felt for her. That would have been handy.

"So, which form do you think they would have to be to have a better chance at winning?" Jasper asked Edward, regarding the baseball game.

"Either form, they're not going to win." Edward said proudly, yet jokingly.

"I'm sure they'll give you a run for your money!" I teased. Edward hooked his arm around my neck, pulling my head down in front of him and began to rub his other hand over my head. I saw Jasper's eyes widen with an idea when I mentioned money.

"So whose side are you on, anyway?" He teased back.

"You don't know by now?" He released me, only to pull me close to him in a hug.

"I've got an idea, but you might need to convince me further." He winked at me.

"Get a room!" Jasper said as he stood to leave, pulling Alice behind him.

"Bye Bella, see you tomorrow!" Alice grinned as they walked off together.

A few hours later, I heard a light knock on our door. Alice peeked in. I sat up and waved for her to enter. I moved closer to Edward's side of the bed, making room for her to sit on my side.

"What's going on?" I was a little worried.

"I'm not sure. There's something, a letter on a door, I don't know where it came from, or who sent it. It just sort of appears." She looked frustrated.

"Well, do you recognize the door?"

"Maybe it's ours. You want to come and look with me?" This was not like Alice. I grabbed my robe and we both went downstairs and opened the front door. Sure enough, there, attached with a piece of scotch tape, was an envelope. I opened it up and began to laugh. I recognized Jacob's handwriting at once. He attempted to write a formal looking invitation to his wedding, addressed to the entire Cullen family. Alice shook her head, realizing the mysterious nature of the letter, but excited about the invitation.

"Time to go shopping again?" She asked, a huge grin replacing her previous look of bafflement.

"That would be fun, however, I don't think this reception will be the kind... you would expect. First of all, it will be on the beach. Secondly, they are a humble people, who live simple lives. We should keep it simple, too." I watched as Alice's face changed once again. She looked sad, yet pensive. When she looked at me again, with bright eyes, I was afraid to hear what she was about to ask.

"How do you think Sara would feel about us throwing her a bridal shower?" I was speechless. That idea was the furthest from my mind. I could hardly believe Alice thought of it. Then, together, we watched the party unfold in our minds. The girls from La Push have never imagined such a party. This was something only Alice could pull off. I let out a sigh, before I nodded at Alice. She let out a squeal of delight before she ran off, I'm sure, to start making plans.

When I returned to the room, Edward was sitting in bed, waiting for me. "So, if you girls are having a party, I was thinking of planning a bachelor party for Jacob." For the second time in a matter of minutes, I was speechless. I sat down on the edge of the bed, my back facing Edward.

"Bella? I won't do it if you don't think it's a good idea." He moved closer, placing his hand on my shoulder. I finally spoke.

"It's fine. It's just hard to believe... that we're all... friends. I'm so happy about it, believe me, it's what I wanted when..." I trailed off. Edward pulled me back onto his lap, enfolding me in his arms.

"You don't know how happy it makes me, the way things are right now. I know the struggle you went through deciding who you wanted... more. But I've felt the pain you felt, seen the thoughts you thought when you went through that. So I have an idea of what it means to have us _both_ in your life, again."

"Oh Edward, why are you so... perfect? You are so good to me." I turned my head up, kissing his neck and throat.

"I could say the same about you." He responded, then bent his head to intercept my lips with his.

The morning light was brighter than usual. As the sun filtered in through the window, I had an idea. When Sophie was dressed and fed, I packed a lunch and snacks for her, then we got in the car to go to a surprise location. Edward was almost as excited as I was to show Sophie our meadow. Edward carried her on his back as we walked quickly through the forest.

When Edward walked out into the meadow, Sophie released her grip from around his neck and lifted her arms into the air, letting her head drop back. She was so happy to be in the sun, in a beautiful field. Edward let her slide down his back. She immediately began to run through the tall grass, stopping to pick flowers, and chasing butterflies and bugs that flew past her.

I looked at Edward, knowing he was in heaven, my mind open to him once again. We walked toward each other, reaching out in front of us to clasp our hands. The sudden brightness of our bodies when we connected got Sophie's attention. She ran up to us and jumped up, grabbing onto our arms like a monkey bar. She laughed with delight as she swung back and forth. Her thoughts came so clearly to both of us as she touched us. She was really happy. She loved us. She felt safe and protected.

Then, she had a thought that I didn't expect, she had hope to see her mom and dad again one day, after this life. I marveled at the faith that she had. Edward, hearing her thoughts, and then mine, looked puzzled. I could see that he was still struggling with the idea of a God. Yet, because of the faith of this little child, he wanted to believe. He began to hope that there was _someone_ with a master plan, who directed us, guided us, and would one day reward us for the good, or bad that we chose to do. I felt the same way. Our feelings and thoughts, combined, seemed to strengthen each other. Hope was a wonderful feeling.

We returned home late that afternoon, having had an incredible, lovely day with Sophie. I watched her face turn sad as we saw the clouds rolling in, blocking the sun's rays. Hoping to lift her spirits again, I asked her if she wanted to go visit Charlie. That did it, she was bouncing and eager to go visit "grand-pere" again. I called Charlie to find out where he was. He had just arrived home. We pulled in a few minutes later.

Sophie jumped out of the car and ran into Charlie's outstretched arms before Edward turned off the car. I walked toward them, just beaming to see them together. Charlie looked, somehow, younger. He looked over at me. 

"So, Renee called." He mentioned it, rather cautiously. He could tell by the look on my face that he had good reason to use caution. "When was the last time you spoke with her? She seemed worried about you, not sure where you were. The last she heard was that you were withdrawing from school to take care of some family business. You didn't tell her about your trip to Europe? Or about Sophie?" I slowly shook my head side-to-side. Charlie looked perplexed.

"It all happened so fast. We were going to go visit her, but then we decided to come straight here. Then... well, other things came up, and now..." I sighed, "I better call her right now." I stayed outside while Charlie, Sophie, and Edward went into the house. I was feeling guilty for not keeping Renee more informed. I didn't know how to explain everything, yet. I guess I was hoping for more time to figure out how to explain. She still hasn't seen me, since I was changed. Thinking about that brought on a flood of other worries. She was my best friend, for so long. Now, I acted like a stranger. I wasn't sure how she would understand. I dialed, holding my breath that I would get the answering machine.

"Hello? Bella, is this you?" Caller ID. I breathed in for courage, then answered.

"Hi mom! It's been a while, hasn't it? How are you?"

"Don't worry about me, I want to know what's going on with you. What happened with school and is everything okay? Are you back in Forks now? Charlie was no help when I spoke to him. He was hiding something, I could feel it. What is it?" She was in her frantic mode. I had to calm her down before I could tell her any of the _big_ things.

"I'm fine, we're all fine. Yes, we withdrew from school because there were some personal family issues with Edward's extended family in Europe. That is taken care of. We returned to Forks because we had some business here and school doesn't start for another few weeks. In fact, we were hoping to come and visit with you before we go back to New Hampshire." It was all the truth. Her pause before answering was a good sign.

"I'm glad to hear that. I would love for you to come visit. Phil is on a break, so we can both spend time with you. The weather is just beautiful. You'll love the beach. Edward will hopefully be able to spend more time with us, since he isn't in school either?" She remembered that on our last visit, Edward's excuse to stay indoors was having to study.

"Sounds great mom. I really look forward to seeing you again. I forget, do you speak any french?"

"Not really, why?"

"Well, there were a couple of deaths in Edward's family, and we brought home a little French girl who was left orphaned. She stays with the whole family, but she is rather _special_ to... us. I would love for you to meet her, if that's okay with you." This time, her pause worried me.

"That would be fine. So, she speaks french? How do you communicate with her?"

"Well, Edward and Carlisle both speak french, and I'm learning. However, she is learning english at an alarmingly fast rate, so she might be fluent by the time we come to visit you." As I spoke it, I knew it could be true.

"Sounds fine. Please call me more often, I worry when I don't hear from you. I don't really like to have to call Charlie to check up on you. I love you, Bella. Take care." She hung up before I could say goodbye.

I thought about e-mailing her a photo of the three of us, just as a preparation tool. Yes, that would be a good idea for her. I went into the house, went up to my room and found the digital camera I had left there. I came down and asked Charlie to snap a few photos of Edward, Sophie, and I so I could send them to Renee. I figured that taking the pictures in a familiar surrounding might make it more realistic for her. Or, she would be distracted by the familiarity of the surroundings that she would be able to overlook my _newer_ looks. No matter what, I was going to have to face Renee sooner, rather than later.


	34. Showers

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Showers

I told Alice I knew just who to call. The phone rang a few times before Emily finally picked up.

"Hello?" I liked the sound of Emily's voice. It was easy to forget about the scars on her face when you listened to her speak.

"Hi, Emily, it's me, Bella. How are you?" I heard a slight gasp, then she replied.

"Oh, Bella, it is good to hear from you. I'm sorry I missed the meeting the other night, but Sam told me all about it. I'm happy to know that we'll be able to continue our friendship. I liked you from the first day that Jake... brought you here." Her voice quieted at the mention of Jacob's name. I could tell she wasn't sure how it would make me feel.

"I liked you, too. I am very pleased at how things are working out. Don't worry about... mentioning Jacob. We are... fine. Really. In fact, the reason I'm calling is because we were wondering if you or someone was planning a bridal shower for Sara?" I felt at ease now.

"Hmm, come to think of it, I kind of forgot about that. I'm glad you brought it up. You know, I'm her maid-of-honor, I should be up on these things. I've never planned one, do you have any idea how it's supposed to work?"

"I don't, but I know someone who specializes in parties, and she's just dying to plan one. Would you like any help?" Alice was jumping up and down beside me, almost knocking the phone out of my hand. Emily paused for a few seconds, then spoke.

"Sure, why not?! Why don't I come meet you, and we can talk about it."

"Yeah. That sounds great. Um, where do you want to meet?" It suddenly occurred to me that there were no restrictions on where we could go. I thought about going back to La Push so Sophie could play with her friends, but Sara would probably be there and I wouldn't want her to feel left out. I told Sophie that we would visit Charlie today, so I guess I didn't have to worry about her feeling lonely. I had an idea.

"Do you know where my dad lives?"

"Sort of. I could ask Sam, I know that he knows." At the mention of Sam's name, I began to wonder how he would feel about Emily meeting with us.

"Actually, I just had another idea. Would you ask Sam if he would bring you to my house? Edward would like to talk to him about something... regarding Jacob. They wanted to do something for him, too." Wow. I could hardly believe I was planning this. Sam and Edward meeting secretly. Emily, Alice, and I meeting secretly, too. This was going to be interesting.

"That's a great idea. Besides, it will look less suspicious if Sam and I leave together. No one would suspect that we were going to meet up with you. What time would you like us to come?"

"How about three o'clock? I'll get Charlie to take Sophie out for an hour or so. That should be plenty of time to make our plans. Thanks a lot Emily, I really appreciate this."

"No, thank you. I would be so embarrassed if I didn't remember to throw her a shower. What kind of maid-of-honor am I? Thank you. We'll see you around three. Bye."

"Bye. See you soon." Before I could close the cell phone, Alice was squeezing me and making me jump up and down with her.

"I just love a party! So, let's go with some ideas, then Emily can choose which one she likes best." Alice already had a pen and notebook, jotting down themes for the shower. Emily will love Alice. Who wouldn't?

I called Charlie to see if we could drop by around two thirty. I told him we would be planning a party, and asked if he would take Sophie out for a late lunch, or dessert while we stayed at the house. He was more than excited to help me out. I then found Sophie and told her what our plans were for the afternoon. She jumped up and hugged me when I told her that she would spend some time alone with Charlie this afternoon.

Edward came in smiling, reading Alice's thoughts. He came over and pecked me on the cheek. "That was a great idea, having us meet to plan both parties at the same time. I hope Sam will like the idea Emmett and I came up with. As I saw what their plan was, I rolled my eyes. Edward started to laugh when he realized why I was rolling my eyes. "Don't you think it's a great idea? At least, no scantily clad women are a part of our plan!" I had to agree with him on that, but it was never going to be an option anyway. That just wasn't like him.

We took turns hunting while someone stayed with Sophie. I wondered how we would one day explain to Sophie about what it was exactly we were doing out there. I guess I'd worry about that when the day came. She knew we didn't eat regular food, but she never questioned if we ate or _drank_ anything at all. She probably just assumed we didn't eat or drink.

Sophie ate a small snack before we left the house. She didn't want to fill up because she wanted Charlie to take her out to lunch. She told me where she wanted to eat, and I laughed. She wanted to eat at McDonalds. I felt a little bad, like we were corrupting her once simple, healthy diet. I thought that we better make sure this didn't become a habit.

Once we visited with Charlie for a few minutes, he and Sophie went off for their "date." Alice, Edward, and I sat patiently waiting for Sam and Emily to arrive. When we heard the knock on the door, I jumped up, eager to see Emily. When the door was open, Emily looked thoughtfully at me. I could see she was examining the newness of my face and skin. She looked into my eyes for a long moment, then she smiled warmly, and entered the house. Sam nodded at me, then hesitated a moment before stepping closer to Edward. Edward held out his arm, directing Sam to the kitchen table. I took hold of Emily's arm and led her to the living room.

Alice came up and held her hand out to Emily. "Hi! I'm Alice. I'm at your service." Emily reached out and shook her hand, tensing the slightest bit from the cool, marble-like touch of her hand. Alice wasted no time. She pulled out her notebook and started spouting off theme ideas and decoration ideas, and possible locations. I could see that Emily was feeling overwhelmed, so I motioned to Alice to slow down. Alice pretended to exhale sadly, then sat down with a smile. She handed the notebook over to Emily. Emily looked thankfully at me, then looked at the notebook. Her eyes widened as she read through the ideas Alice had come up with.

"I don't know how to do any of that!" She looked disappointed, in herself.

"But we do, and we want to help. Just let us know which idea you like the best, and we'll take care of the rest." Alice tried to keep her voice as calm as she could.

"What will I do?" I could see she really wanted to be a part of the planning.

"Well, seeing as you guys are the only ones that will be eating, would you mind taking care of the food?" I knew what a great cook Emily was and she could easily feed a crowd. Her face lit up at my suggestion. "Why don't you pick a theme, then you can plan a menu that goes with that theme. Or not. It's just an idea." Alice looked wide eyed at me.

"Why Bella, it looks like there's hope for you in the party planning business after all!" She began to laugh. Emily started to laugh, too. I heard a chair in the kitchen scrape the linoleum as Sam and Edward stood up to come back into the living room. They were laughing, too.

Sam came into the living room and sat down next to Emily. Edward sat next to me. Emily's head bowed slightly in Edward's presence. I could see she was not unaffected by Edward's distractingly good looks.

"So what day will you boys have your... party?" I asked to break the silence.

"That all depends on Alice," Edward started to say. Alice's head whipped around to face Edward.

"What do you mean?" Her eyes squinted, curious, but not worried.

"Well, our plans depend on the weather. What's a shower if there's no rain?!" Alice looked confused, but I began to laugh as I remembered what he was thinking about earlier today.

"The boys idea of a shower includes a baseball and bat." I said to satisfy Alice's confusion. Understanding dawned on her. But Emily was still confused. Sam explained.

"Edward was telling me about their version of baseball. Unfortunately, they can only play during a thunderstorm because it gets noisy. Sounds like a lot of fun, so that's when we're going to have _our_ party." Emily still didn't quite get it, but she accepted the idea that they were going to be playing baseball. Her face then lit up with an idea.

"Why don't we have our parties at the same time, then we won't be missing... each other if we had them on separate days." She looked down sheepishly, afraid we might think her idea was cheesy. Edward pulled me closer to him before speaking.

"That is the best idea I've heard today. I don't want to be apart for too long, either." Edward's response caused her cheeks to deepen in color. Blushing became her. Sam pulled her closer to him, kissing her hands. We all sat quietly, enjoying the moment.

"Charlie is on his way back now. He might be surprised to see all of us together. I don't mind, but I just thought I'd mention it." Edward spoke in a whisper.

Sam and Emily stood. We stood up after they did. "Maybe we should head back. Thank you. We appreciate what you are doing. We will take care of the invitations on our side. We hope your whole family will be involved, also." Sam escorted Emily out the front door.

"Wait, Emily, which one did you decide on?" Alice came running to the front door.

"The third idea. I like the idea of having the little girls with us. Is that okay?"

"Of course! It's perfect. We'll take care of it. Bye!" Alice looked excited as she pulled out her notebook again to start making the real plans now. I glanced over to see which was the third idea. I just smiled when I saw what she had chosen. I was a little surprised, but at the same time, I couldn't think of anyone better than Alice to pull this one off.


	35. Teacups and Time Outs

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Teacups and Time Outs

Edward and I sat on the couch in our room, looking out into the night sky. The moon was slowly rising above purple clouds that dominated most of the day. The storm was fast and furious. Our favorite kind. The sun was blocked out for a good four hours as the winds picked up, and the rain poured. Even without the sun, the sky was lit up most of the time with a fantastic electrical display. The thunder blasted and boomed with each illumination. Now though, it was still and quiet. I liked this time of night after a storm. I cuddled closer to Edward as he began to tell me about his day.

"Well, Jacob was definitely surprised when he arrived at the field. Sam did a great job getting him there without telling him why. Billy was intrigued, so he came along, too. We decided to choose teams. Emmett had an idea that I quickly dismissed. He thought we should play vampires against werewolves. He even suggested we name the teams 'Team Edward' and 'Team Jacob'. It was silly considering our history, I didn't think it a wise choice. So we just went with 'shirts' and 'no shirts'. I think we divided up pretty evenly. Billy acted as referee."

"We had a lot of fun. Billy had to call time out a few times when we were getting too... rowdy. We were just playing around. Some of the boys thought it was fun to wait until the ball was hit, then to change into their wolf form to chase it. However, when they could read the thoughts of their fellow pack mates, they would stop to wrestle each other. It was entertaining, at least, for us." Edward looked like he was happily remembering the events of the afternoon.

"So, who won?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, who knows?! We were enjoying ourselves too much to keep score." He pulled me closer in his excitement. "So, tell me about your day!"

"Are you sure you want to hear all the gushy details?" He smiled, reassuringly.

"Of course."

"So, the theme that Emily chose was a Makeover Tea Party. Alice had included plans for the young girls if she chose this idea. You know Alice, it was incredible. She rented, I would guess, a whole costume shop full of dress up clothes for both young and _older_ girls. She got make-up, hair and nail supplies, and accessories. She even brought someone in to set up dressing tables and mirrors." I stopped for a second and watched Edward's face. He suddenly had a distant look on his face. "Edward? I can skip the details if you wish."

"No, no, it's not that. I'm sorry, I was just listening to Alice. She is debating whether to ask Emily if she can help decorate for the reception. What do you think?" He was a little worried. I exhaled.

"You know what? I think Emily was so impressed by the party today, that I think she'd be happy to have Alice's input for the reception." I nodded, really believing what I just said. He accepted that.

"Please, continue, I'll stop listening in on the others now. Besides, they're getting sidetracked as we speak. Sorry love, continue." His piercing, yet warm eyes remained locked with mine. He did really want to know about my day.

"So, the dining room was transformed into a huge dressing room. One side for the little girls, and the other for us big girls. I wish you could have seen Sophie trying on all the different princess dresses. She finally decided on an emerald green, princess cut dress, with a black satin sash, and matching black satin shoes. Rose curled her hair and put a little lip gloss on her. She was so beautiful. The other little girls were shy at first, but as they watched Sophie dive into everything, soon they were just, if not more excited about it. I don't believe they ever saw so many different beautiful dresses in one place, and all in their sizes. We took lots of pictures." I paused to think about how happy all the girls looked.

"We had more fun watching them, but we treated ourselves to some pampering, too. Sara was very shy about trying on clothes and putting on make-up. That was why I was surprised that Emily had chosen that theme. It didn't seem like the kind of thing Sara would get excited about. Leah, also, was very reluctant to join in. However, one should never underestimate the female instinct. Emily decided to let Alice give her a facial and do her make-up. She worked magic with the make-up and disguised the scars on Emily's face. Even Emily couldn't believe it when she looked in the mirror when Alice was done. The tears almost ruined the make-up, but Alice quickly touched it up. Emily asked Alice if she would do her make-up for the day of the wedding." I watched Edward smile, thinking about sweet Alice, and her amazing talent and compassion.

"So after Emily was done, Sara and Leah gathered up the courage to participate. Rose had the honors of doing Sara's make-up. Alice helped with her hair and nails. Leah allowed me to help her with make-up and choosing a dress. Alice didn't allow Sara to see herself until she was completely done and dressed. When she turned around to face the mirror, she stared in disbelief. She kept turning her head side to side, like she was trying to recognize the person in the mirror. At last, as everyone in the room watched and admired her, she started to smile. I think we got some great pictures of her, while she looked in the mirror. She, too, asked if we would help with her make-up on her wedding day. It looks like we'll be busy that morning!" Edward laughed, his mind trying to understand why women liked makeovers. He thought we were all beautiful exactly the way we were. I laughed, because I knew he would never really understand the thrill of trying on clothes and putting on make-up, just for the fun of it.

"Once we were all dressed, we went into the living room, that had also been transformed into an elegant Tea Room. Tables were set up to seat two to three people. But all the tables were close enough that we would all be able to speak to each other easily. Two of the tables were child-size. There were fresh flowers on each table, as well as candles. It was pretty dark outside, but Alice had string lights wrapped around the columns, banister, and hanging in waterfall fashion in front of the window."

"Emily did a wonderful job with the food. I could only imagine that it was all very tasty. She had a variety of hors d'ouvres and pastries, some sweet, some savory. She also had a few different drinks, both hot and cold. I really enjoyed watching them enjoy the food and drinks. I would have to say that everyone was happy. I can hardly wait to show you the pictures. I think I'll make a scrapbook for Sara, so she can remember her bridal shower. Although, I don't think she'll ever forget it." I sighed, realizing just how incredible the events of the day were.

I could feel Edward staring at me. I resisted looking at him, but not for long. As I gazed at his face, I started to feel the warmth that always accompanied the excitement of being near him. He very slowly traced my face with the tip of his finger, from temple to temple, then my eyes and finally my lips.

"There is nothing you could do to your face to make you more beautiful than you are right now." His face blurred into soft-focus as my mind swirled with the ever-increasing love that I felt for him. I felt the electricity as his face drew nearer and I closed my eyes as his lips finally touched mine, gently, controlled, teasing. I was waiting for the intensity to increase, but it remained constant. I finally opened my eyes to look into Edward's eyes. I could tell he was smiling. He was in a playful mood, teasing me like that. He was sitting there, in front of me one second, and the next he was gone. I sat there for a moment, considering whether or not to find out what his plans were the easy way. I smiled as I decided I'd like to be surprised. I'll let him enjoy whatever it is he had planned.

I waited patiently for him to return. I stared at the moon, in it's full glory. The clouds had moved on, leaving a clear sky. The light from the moon illuminated the trees, field, and mountains in the distance. I was captivated by the nocturnal beauty before me. I heard a noise in the dark. I looked around but didn't see Edward anywhere. Then I noticed a box lying on the edge of the bed. I walked over and opened it, then began to laugh. He was in a _very_ playful mood. Attached to the piece of clothing was a tiny note: Wear me. I struggled against my embarrassment and finally undressed and put it on.

I stood there, shaking my head at myself. This was a new one, or at least a twist on an old one. I clearly remembered the first time I was ever in this room. It was the first day I met his family. He gave me a tour of the house which ended in here. I made some comment about not being afraid of him, and he attacked me. Well, not really. As I stood there thinking about that wonderful day, I heard a very low growl from behind me. I smiled, not looking, but knowing what he was about to do. As he pounced, I moved just enough for him to go sailing through the air past me. He turned, surprised, and faced me with a playful grin. Now it was my turn to be surprised. Edward was wearing an old fashioned English hunting outfit, complete with hat and monocle.

"I wanted to see what all the excitement about getting dressed up was about. But now, I see how it allows one to _really_ get into character. Are _you_ feeling it, yet?" He was slowly creeping to one side to get a better angle at me. He looked intent on going through with his scenario, so I decided to humor him. He soared through the air again at me. I dodged him once again, letting out a tiny roar as I did. "Oh come on, you can do better than that!" He launched himself at me again. This time, I let out a roar that would impress him. It got his attention, his grin becoming more playfully sinister. We both moved slowly around the room, trying to outmaneuver the other.

He pounced again and again, always barely missing me. Finally, I decided it was time to end this game. I began to purr, and looked at him with the most seductive look I could muster. His face changed to one of shock, then he slowly shook his head. "How will I ever look at another lioness again?" He jumped one last time, wrapping his arms around me as we landed on the bed. I just laughed as he nipped at the skin on my neck. It tingled as he barely skimmed his teeth against my skin.

"Nothing has ever tasted as delicious as you." Using his teeth, he untied the string holding the tiger print wrap around me. "Ahh, this was the best hunt, ever!"


	36. Wedding Bells

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Wedding Bells

The phone ringing startled me. It was too early. Who could be calling? I answered, curious.

"Hey Bells, I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time." It was unmistakably Jacob's voice. "It's just that, well, Sara and Emily are simply... going crazy trying to set things up for the wedding, and they chased us away, and I feel bad. Do you think..." I cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

"We'll be right over. Thanks for letting me know!" I hung up the phone and called out Alice's name. She entered a second later.

"Yes?" She always looked ready for action.

"Jacob just called, Emily needs help setting up for the wedding. The boys were probably more trouble than help, so they've been kicked out. Do you want to come with me?" Alice's face lit up with the anticipation of decorating for a wedding. She had given Emily all kinds of advice on decoration ideas, seating arrangements, and music, but she seemed hesitant to ask for direct help in setting it all up.

"Let me grab a few things and I'll meet you in front." She dashed off. I turned to Edward, who was busy reading a book on the bed. He turned to me when he felt my gaze, and smiled.

"Have a good time. When do you think you will be back?"

"Well, I guess we'll help them set up and decorate, then help the girls get dressed and made up. Then we'll be back to get ourselves ready." I glided over to the side of the bed, leaned over to give him a kiss, then left.

Alice was standing next to the car, having packed several boxes into the back seat. I looked curiously in the back window. Alice had an "I'm innocent" look on her face. We got into the car and sped over to La Push. Jacob was out by the road near his house when we pulled in. We slowed down to inquire after Emily.

"Sara and Emily are up on the cliff, you know, near the jumping rock. They decided it was a better location for the ceremony. The reception will be up there too, hoping the weather stays agreeable. I'm glad it's overcast, for your sakes, since Charlie will be here. He would be shocked if the sun showed up with all of you there." He cracked a smile, the first since we arrived. We bid him farewell, then drove on up to the cliff.

The wind was being cooperative, for now. Leah had joined Emily and Sara to set up the chairs. I saw a couple of broken chairs lying off to the side. I could guess they were part of the reason the boys were shipped off. Emily had gone with a traditional set up. Neat rows of chairs, divided into two groups by an aisle that went down the center. A simple, plain arbor marked the end of the aisle. There was a small pile of poles off to the side.

Alice got right to work. She pulled out a couple of the boxes from the back seat. She opened one and pulled out two mallets and handed one to me. I followed her, knowing she'd show me what to do. She picked up several of the poles and I followed her example. We set them into the ground at equal intervals around the perimeter of the chairs. Once they were all in, Alice grabbed a couple rolls of tulle, handing one to me. She anchored one end to the pole closest to the arch, made a bow, then draped the tulle creating a swag between each pole. I tried my best to imitate her on the other side. Once that was done, she pulled another roll of tulle out and wound it around and through the arbor. Then she added some leaf garlands.

Emily stood by, watching Alice, amazed at the speed and precision at which Alice did everything. The outcome was beautiful, of course. When Alice finally stopped and looked at Emily, she hoped she didn't overstep her bounds. Emily's smile let her know she was fine. We joined Emily, Sara, and Leah behind the last row. We stood there admiring Alice's handiwork. Emily reached down into a box at her feet, and pulled out a sadly put together flower arrangement. She looked at Alice then whispered, "Help!"

Alice and I got to work quickly, rearranging the flowers, then attaching some of the smaller bunches to the edge of the chairs closest to the aisle. Alice added some to the garlands on the arbor, too. When everything was done, we encouraged the girls to get back to the house to get ready. When they were cleaned up, we helped make their hair, nails, and make-up. They were so pleased. We left them in high spirits.

We rushed home to get ourselves ready. Edward was waiting for me in our room. He was dressed handsomely, yet simply. Quite appropriate for the occasion. I dressed quickly, anxious to get back to him. He held me in his arms before we went to get Sophie. Rose dressed her and got her ready. She was really excited to be going to La Push again. She had so much to say. Her english was coming along really well. My french however, was not improving as quickly, but Sophie enjoyed listening to me try.

Everyone looked very nice as we gathered downstairs to leave. Esme came over to me, taking my hands in hers. "I haven't told you how... proud I am of you, and how you're handling everything. I'm so happy for the way things have worked out." She kissed me on my cheek, then followed Carlisle out of the house.

Edward drove slowly as we entered the reservation because Sophie insisted on hanging her head out the window. When we pulled up near the cliff, she jumped out of the car and ran over to Charlie, who was standing there looking shocked. He was thrilled when Sophie ran and jumped up into his arms. After exchanging pleasantries with him, she ran off to join the children who were playing nearby. Alice, Rose, and I headed towards Emily's house, to see if we could help with any last minute details. Carlisle and Esme went over and sat with Billy and some of the Elders. Edward, Emmett, and Jasper walked over to talk with some of the boys near the cliff's edge. They began to jostle each other, planning the next "baseball" game.

We touched up some make-up and hair, but other than that, Sara and Emily were ready. Sara was a little nervous, but as the bride, it was expected. Emily was a little worried about the caterer, but Alice said she would take care of it. I could see everything was in order, so I walked out and headed towards where the ceremony would be held. I saw Charlie standing in the same spot that I last saw him in, a look of confusion on his face.

"When did all this happen? I mean, I think it's great, wonderful in fact, but... how?" He was scratching his head, looking for answers. It took me a second to figure out what he was referring to, then I realized I had not told him much about the improved friendship between the Quileutes and the Cullen family.

"Well, it's been happening slowly. You've seen how much Carlisle has done for them in the past, and believe it or not, Edward and Jacob have become friends, in spite of me. Actually, Sara and I have become well acquainted, too. Sophie has also helped. Ever since you brought her here, she's insisted on returning to play with her new friends, so we've been back several times." He watched me carefully as I listed all of those reasons. He still looked a little skeptical, but he was trying to accept it. I took his arm and we walked over to where Billy and the others were seated. I noticed two women I didn't quite recognize. Edward joined us a moment later.

"Bella, do you remember Rachel and Rebecca?" Billy asked, pointing to the two girls sitting next to each other, looking very much alike. Of course, the twins. I had forgotten about them.

"Yes, it's been a long time. Hi!" I was surprised when they both just looked at me, with blank expressions. I tried again. "I remember playing with you guys when our dads would go fishing." They still showed no sign of recognition. Edward placed his hand on mine. I listened to what he was thinking and realized why they were behaving that way. First of all, someone had told them about Jacob and myself, and they weren't quite over that. They were also struggling a little with the idea of the Cullen family being welcome on their land. The last reason was they had not expected me to resemble the Cullens so much. "This is Edward, my husband," I said as a last chance effort.

Their eyes met Edwards for a brief moment, then they both looked down, shyly. I was just glad to see a different expression on their faces. "You live in Hawaii, right?" I asked Rebecca. She looked startled, then a smile crept onto her face.

"Yes. I'm married and I have a son, Toa. He's five. I brought him with me, you'll probably see him running around with the other children."

"Toa, that's a nice name. What does it mean?"

"In my husbands language, it stands for 'warrior'." She had a warm, distant look in her eyes as she thought of her husband, who was not able to come to the wedding.

"That's neat. And you are still at school... Washington State, yes?" I was looking at Rachel now. She seemed pleased that I knew anything about her.

"Yes, that's correct. I will graduate in the Fall." I saw Billy look proudly at her, and she returned a smile to him.

"Bella and Edward are at Dartmouth." Charlie interjected, wanting to brag a little about his little girl. I was a little embarrassed, but tickled that he was still proud.

"That's great. Congratulations." Rachel replied warmly. I felt much better now that we all seemed to be at ease. Slowly, everyone began to come and sit down.

I noticed a woman setting up a music stand up near the front of the chairs. She pulled out a flute and began to warm up, tuning her flute. Billy stood up as an Elder approached, wearing an intricately decorated leather tunic. I assumed it was the officiant who would be conducting the ceremony. He and Billy greeted each other warmly, then he escorted the man to the front row and helped him sit down. A few minutes later, Jacob and Sam approached us. Jacob looked very handsome and happy. Billy waved at them, calling them over to the officiant. Jacob looked at me before he turned, grinned widely, then left. Edward squeezed my hand as I read that Jake was so happy I was here for his wedding. I was, too.

When everyone was settled in their seats, the flutist started to play a melodic tune that was clearly of Native American in origin. It was earthy, and moving. The officiant, a shaman from Sara's tribe, stood with Jacob under the arbor. We all stood as Emily walked down the aisle. There were a few gasps from people when they saw how beautiful and confident Emily looked now that her scars were somewhat disguised with make-up. I turned to watch Sam. He looked choked up as tears filled his eyes at the sight of her. Emily also had tears in her eyes, feeling the love that now exuded from Sam's countenance. Their seats were across the aisle from each other on the first row, but their eyes never lost contact as Sam seated her next to him, on his side of the aisle.

I knew Sara was walking down the aisle now, but I could not take my eyes off of Jacob. I was filled with joy as I watched the expressions on Jacob's face as he watched Sara draw nearer to him with each step. He was entranced, a look of awe, and adoration clearly showing through his eyes and smile. Edward was watching me, sharing my joy, but for different reasons. As selfless as he was, in this circumstance, the main object of his joy was my happiness.

The ceremony was traditional, spoken mostly in an ancient tongue that both tribes were familiar with. It was eloquent and powerful. I could appreciate the spirit of the ceremony. I could see the sincere interest and respect that the Cullen family showed through their faces and body language. This experience would be another pivotal moment in our new alliance.

The Quileute people knew how to party. The reception lasted late into the night. There was food available the whole time. There was dancing and games for everyone, including the children. Edward and I were sitting and watching the children dancing together. Sophie was having a ball. I noticed one particular little boy who seemed attached to her. He held onto her dress and kept his eyes glued on her. She would giggle when she would look at him and he would smile at her. They would wander off together to the dessert table and giggle some more as they secretively stole petit fours. Then they would hide under a table and eat their spoils. They would emerge with the tell-tale chocolate and whipped cream smudges on their faces.

As it got later, we could see that the children were getting tired. Sophie and this little boy were seated on one chair, their heads resting against each other. I watched as Rebecca came over and spoke to the boy. I had wondered if that was her son, Toa. She walked over to me and asked if it would be alright if she took Sophie with the other children to rest in the house. There was one more event before the wedding and reception was officially over. Sophie came over and gave us hugs before she walked off, hand in hand with Toa. Edward and I looked at each other, smiling at this interesting turn of events.

Emily came over and invited us to join everyone near the cliff. The boys threw together a bonfire for the finale of the evening. As we all gathered around the now raging fire, the shaman came forward, wearing an ornate headdress. He started to chant as Jacob and Sara approached him. He carried a pouch that they both put their hands into. They withdrew a powder that they then threw into the fire. The flames changed colors, and threw sparks that lit up the darkened sky above us. It was mesmerizing. The rhythmic sound of a drum began to grow, and everyone around us slowly began to bounce to the rhythm. It was contagious, the desire to bounce up and down on the ball of one foot, in unison with the group. Then we all began to move slowly around the fire.

Jacob and Sara stood still near the fire. The rest of us circled around them. When I was directly across the fire from them, I looked through the fiery haze and met Jacob's gaze. The peace I felt in his gaze spoke a thousand words. Our friendship was as destined as my love was for Edward. Our paths crossed for many reasons, peace being the greatest. I felt the tear in my heart heal itself at this very moment. All was right with the world tonight.


	37. Loose End

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Loose End

"It almost feels like it used to," I say more to myself, then to anyone else. Of course, I knew Edward would hear me, though. I slipped the phone into my pocket and sank into the couch next to him. He put his arm around me, thinking about how happy it made him to see me happy. Ever since I started talking regularly on the phone with Renee, I've felt more and more comfortable about possibly telling her everything. Edward told me he would support me no matter what I decided to do.

"So, are you ready to see her, or should I say, do you think she's ready to see you?" That was a good question he posed. I continued to think about that. Renee and I have been talking just about every day for a few weeks now. I tell her about Sophie, and things that are going on here. Small talk, I guess it's called. I'm trying to let her see what a normal life we're living. I'm hoping that she'll get used to my voice, and how I speak, so that when she does see me, at least that will be familiar to her.

"You're still worried about it, aren't you?" Edward put his arm around my shoulders. "I have a feeling that your mom will accept _whatever_ you tell her."

"Really? I wish Alice could help me out here."

"I know, I do, too. She can only see as far as the decisions we've made. After that, it's up to your mom, and she has absolutely no idea what's going on." He smoothed his hand over my hair, tucking some loose strands behind my ear. "If you need more time..."

"No," I cut him off. "It is time. She will have to face me sooner or later, I would rather it be now. We've been through enough that I can expect her to be honest and frank with me. It might hurt, or it could make me the happiest daughter in the world. Either way, we go on as planned. Back to school, helping raise Sophie, coming back here for vacations." I stared off at nothing in particular. My daze was broken by the sound of little feet running.

"Bella!" Sophie ran up to us sitting on the couch and launched herself into both of us, her arms pulling in our necks at the same time. "We had so much fun! I will be sad to say good bye to my new friends, but they said they would still be here when we return for Christmas break. I can't wait until Christmas!" I felt the same way. Alice had become friends with Emily, so she was happy to take Sophie over to La Push for a few hours, so she could visit with Emily at the same time.

"I can hardly wait for Christmas, either. I know Charlie is happy to know we will return in a few months. He will miss you terribly." I kissed Sophie's forehead before she stood up in front of us.

"So, when will I meet grand-mere?" My eyes opened slightly wider at hearing Sophie use the title grand-mere. I knew enough about my mother to know she would not appreciate being called a grandmother just yet.

"Sophie, you can call her Renee. Isn't that a pretty name? I think she would like it if you called her that." I hoped Sophie would understand.

"Renee. Oui, I like it." Sophie said her name with a beautiful french accent. Yes, Renee would like it too.

"We will leave tomorrow evening. Is there anything special you'd like to do before we leave?" I asked Sophie as I watched the corners of her mouth turn down as she thought about leaving.

"I would like to go see Charlie before we leave." I sighed out of happiness. I enjoyed watching the relationship grow between Charlie and Sophie. She will be the grandchild that I will never be able to give him.

"That's a wonderful idea. Maybe we can swing by and say goodbye to your friends, too." I watched her face light up when I mentioned seeing her friends again. I didn't realize how important friends were going to be for her. I hoped we would be able to find a nice play group or other setting that would allow her to meet new people once we were back in New Hampshire.

Saying goodbye to Charlie got easier each time, especially knowing we'd return. Sophie shed a few tears as we drove away from Charlie. He stood in the driveway, waving, until we were completely out of sight. Sophie was looking out the back window until she no longer saw him either.

The plane ride went smoothly. Alice informed us that tonight was the perfect time to travel to Florida because tomorrow would be a rare, overcast day on the beach. This would give us the opportunity to go outside with Renee. I think she probably thought it was peculiar that Edward always had a good excuse to stay indoors on our last trip to visit her. I liked the idea of us being together on the beach, playing in the sand, acting... normal. I was still worried about the way Renee would look at us, like at our wedding reception. She was trying to figure out what was different about Edward and his family.

Sophie fell asleep in the rental car on the drive over to Renee's home. I called her from the airport, just to let her know we were on our way. Edward reached over and squeezed my shoulder as we approached the house. I didn't realize how tense I was, until I relaxed my shoulder under his compression. He smiled his warm, dazzling smile, almost completely erasing any fearful, anxious thoughts I was having. Almost.

Edward carried Sophie and I carried our bags to the front door. I closed my eyes and whispered a quiet plea, hoping the god who listened to Sophie's prayers, might listen to me at this moment. I was about to knock when the door opened before my hand met the wood.

"Hi mom!" I quickly said, hoping my voice would somehow be comforting if she found my face distracting. Fortunately, she quickly glanced from me over to Edward, carrying Sophie.

"Please, come in. You can set her down in the small guest room. It's directly across from the room you two will stay in." She gently placed her hand on Edward's shoulder as she directed him. I watched, with a smile on my face, as her maternal instinct kicked in at the sight of a child. Sophie was a greater blessing than I imagined. I followed them, and put our bags in the other guest room. I went back out and sat down in the living room waiting for them.

I watched Renee's face as she entered the living room, watching me. She looked curious and a little apprehensive. She sat facing me, still silent. I smiled, hoping to elicit one from her. She remained so still, almost frozen. Edward walked in and I saw his eyes widen before they softened as a smile crept onto his face. He sat down next to me, taking my hand in his.

"It's good to see you. How have you been?" Edward broke the silence. Renee finally blinked, a smile replacing her pensive look, and she turned her head to face Edward.

"I've been well, thank you. I've been looking forward to your visit. It's been a long time. A lot... seems to have changed." Edward squeezed my hand. I read that she was certainly curious about some of the subtle changes she saw in me. Although, she was actually questioning her own memory about what I looked like, the color of my eyes, and the way I carried myself. I felt a little bad that she thought she was losing it, when in reality, I had changed. I still didn't know what I would tell her when she did ask, and she did intend to ask. Edward stood, and pretended to yawn.

"It's been a long day. I think I'll retire now. Goodnight, Renee." He leaned down and pecked my head, then winked before he turned and walked down the hall. I could see him smiling, anticipating the deluge of questions heading my way. He left me to fend for myself.

"So, where's Phil?" I asked, breaking the newly formed silence.

"He had a late practice, then they were going to go out for dinner. He should be home shortly. He was hoping to see you guys tonight. He felt bad that he wouldn't be here to welcome you." I disliked the brief moment of awkward silence that followed.

"Sophie is excited to meet you. She is also very excited to see the ocean. She loved it at La Push. I told her the beaches here are a lot more sandy, unlike the pebbles and smooth rocks at First Beach. She's hoping we can build a sand castle tomorrow." Mom's face continued to study mine.

"Will Edward be joining us tomorrow, I mean, on the beach?" I could tell she was still trying to figure him out. She definitely didn't forget about our last visit.

"Yes, I do believe he has no reason not to join us. Will Phil be around?"

"Unfortunately, no. He has some business to take care of, but he'll be back early in the evening. We were thinking about taking you out to dinner. What do you like to eat nowadays?" I couldn't help but chuckle at her question. If only I could tell her the truth.

"That sounds good. Anything really, we're not picky." As long as it's really rare, I wanted to add. I longed to be able to tell her everything. I was starting to feel like maybe it was possible. "Is there anything bothering you?" I threw out some bait. She was a bit startled by my question, but I saw a look in her eyes, like the wheels started turning.

"Actually, there is. Don't get me wrong, but what's happened to you? I mean, I know it's you, but you're... different." She said it without judgment, simply stating what was on her mind.

"What do you mean by 'different'?" I urged her on.

"Well, you look, more... refined. I'm not sure how to describe it. Your face is more distinct, like you had work done, but I know you would _never_ do that. You don't care _that much_ about your appearance." I couldn't help but smile about her comment. "And the way you carry yourself, there's more confidence, and charisma... not to offend you, honey, but that was something you were always lacking." I had to laugh at that. I thought I heard Edward laughing to himself in the room, too.

"Then there's your eyes... are you wearing contacts? I know those are not your color eyes, I _know this_." I stopped laughing, recognizing her attempt to establish her sanity.

"You... are so much more like Edward than I ever thought possible. I guess I've heard of people being of such like minds, that their physical appearance seems to reflect each other. I just never expected it to be so obvious, and so... quick. But there was something about you two, I knew from, well, from the way you reacted when he... left you." She paused, unsure of how that memory would affect me. I smiled to let her know it was okay. "You really worried your dad and I, the way you lost your will to live, like he was the only thing worth living for. Then, when you nearly had the semblance of a life back, he returned, and it was as if he never left. When you came to visit, that first time, I noticed a certain gravitational pull you have towards each other. It is... uncanny." She rested from sharing her observations.

I reached out to place my hand on hers, forgetting what I was, and thinking only as her daughter. The shock of my touch caused her to pull hers away. I froze. She paused, then reached forward and touched the top of my hand with her fingers. A look of awe and wonder spread across her face. Slowly she started to shake her head side to side.

"I don't understand. What's happening here?" I smiled, ready to spill my guts.

"Hello?! Anybody home?" We both looked up in shock as Phil entered the living room. We had not heard him open the door, we were too distracted. Renee tried to gather her thoughts quickly. I tried to hide my disappointment. We both stood up to greet him.

"Hi, Phil. It's good to see you again." Phil looked at me for a moment, almost unsure if it was me. Then he shook his head, like he was shaking off a silly notion, and leaned in to give me a hug. I felt him freeze for a brief moment as he touched my firm, cool skin. He once again just shook his head, then turned to give Renee a kiss. They exchanged brief messages, then he excused himself. I think that he realized he had interrupted something, so he gave us back our privacy.

"You were saying?" I prodded again. She let out a long sigh and sat back in her chair, studying my features, yet again.

"Can you explain to me these changes? Is there a rational reason for this? I can't think of anything, but I'm willing to give it a try." This was my opening.

"I'd like to tell you a story about Carlisle, or actually, it starts with his father..." I told her the whole story, just as Edward first told me in Carlisle's study. I watched her face closely as I went over the more supernatural parts. She never showed any sign of fear, or doubt. A few hours later, I finished my story with my apprehensions about seeing her again, and my desire to tell her everything I just did.

She sat very still, and very quiet for a while. "So, you're a... _good vampire_." She said it very calmly. "I guess we should order in tomorrow night?" A deep laugh escaped from me.

"Is that... all you have to say?" I was shocked, but at the same time, relieved.

"I can see that you're still 'Bella', that is clear to me. I will have to get used to some of your newer attributes," she reached out and gently touched my arm "but I'm just glad that there's an explanation for everything. I've had so many questions, and you've answered them all. I'm grateful you trusted me with this information. You're sure I won't get into trouble for knowing?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we have a good say in what we can and can't do now." I smiled, thinking about the last news Carlisle had given us that Tristan was having a lot of success and support from the new leaders. Things were going better than we had expected and hoped for.

"So, tomorrow, on the beach...should the sun make a surprise appearance?" She asked curiously.

"Everyone would get a _huge_ surprise if that were to happen. But like I said, Alice has always been very accurate about weather predictions. We'll be able to enjoy a day at the beach, like a family."

"Do you think one day you'd be able to show me?" She smiled sheepishly, like what she was asking was silly.

"Of course. It is really incredible. Edward and I are truly of 'like minds' when we are in the sun together."

"That sounds really nice. I'm... really... happy for you, Bella. I don't think many mothers can say that, especially after finding out their daughter is now an immortal, blood drinking... person." She smiled. I smiled, appreciating her substitution. "Besides, do you remember I used to say that you were born thirty-five years old, and you get more middle-aged every year? I guess you are really stuck in your mature nineteen year old body. Boy, that actually sounds very good." She started to giggle, thinking about never aging.

"There are some drawbacks to that of course, but I try not to think of them just yet." I saw her yawn. I smiled and stood up. "Time for bed."

"I thought you don't sleep?" She wondered out loud.

"No, we don't. But there are other things to do during the night." Renee's face turned bright red. It dawned on me what she might be thinking. "I mean, like reading, and... oh never mind. Yeah, that too. Ew. I never thought I'd have a conversation with you about that. Goodnight mom. I love you. I'm so glad I told you." I stepped closer to her, then waited to see if she felt comfortable enough. She stepped closer to me and wrapped her arms around me. I did the same. I started to laugh as I realized that she also took that opportunity to feel and prod my body.

"Fascinating!" She exclaimed as we let go of our embrace.

"Goodnight mom!" I glided to the room, knowing she was watching me.

I climbed onto the bed, where Edward lay on his back, hands behind his head, legs crossed, a huge grin across his face. "I'm so happy for you!" he said before he pulled me into him and kissed me. Once again, I was flying high on the wings of love and happiness.


	38. Sand Castles

Stephenie Meyer is the genius behind Twilight!

Sand Castles

I heard Sophie get out of bed, but she didn't come into our room. After a few minutes, I got worried, so I went to her room. She was standing by the window, staring out at the wide expanse of ocean that was my mother's back yard. She stood up on the tips of her toes to see out below her window, wondering if the sand came right up to the house.

"Do you like it?" I whispered so I didn't startle her. She turned around, a wonderful, bright smile upon her face.

"It's so beautiful, like my sunflower fields back home." Her voice trailed off as she thought about her home in France. I hugged her, and she squeezed me tight, her memories suddenly filling her with sadness. I wished I knew how to make her feel better. When she released me, her eyes glistened. "I miss them." She turned around to look out the window again. I stood there quietly, admiring this brave little girl who lost her parents and moved far from home. I felt so lucky that she loved us enough to come with us.

I felt Edward's hand on my waist. The look on his face let me know he felt the same way I did. He nodded his head in the direction of the living room. Renee and Phil were both awake. After a few more moments, I whispered to Sophie and asked if she would like to meet Renee. She turned to us, putting on a happy face as she sighed. She took my hand as we walked out of the room.

"Good morning mom. Morning Phil." They were sitting on the couch, conversing quietly. They greeted us with smiles, then both of their eyes went to Sophie, who was peeking from behind Edward and I. "I'd like you to meet Sophie," I said as I tried to urge her forward.

"Hello," she whispered. She remained next to me, pressing against my leg, her hand holding on tight to mine.

"Good morning, Sophie. Did you sleep well?" Renee's smile was warm and welcoming.

"Yes, thank you." Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the panoramic view through the many windows.

"Do you like the ocean?" Renee noticed how eagerly she looked outside.

"Oh yes, it is beautiful. You must swim all the time."

"Well, not all the time, but we do enjoy living so close to it. Do you like to swim? Would you like to go for a swim later?"

"Oh yes, I would love to. Bella? Can we go swimming later?" She looked at me with a face no one could refuse. I didn't want to, anyway.

"Of course. Why don't you have some breakfast first?" Edward and Phil had exchanged handshakes, and were busy talking about sports. Renee stood up and walked with us into the kitchen. She pulled out a couple different boxes of cereal, the carton of milk, and a box of frosted, strawberry Pop-Tarts. Mom remembered what I liked to eat for breakfast.

Renee watched, surprised as Sophie walked past my once favorite foods, and went over to the bowl of fruit sitting on the counter. She picked an orange and an apple for herself. Mom looked at me, shocked. "Wow, I'm impressed." I put my hands up in front of me.

"I had nothing to do with it. She ate well when we met her in France. I've made the mistake of introducing her to McDonalds!" As soon as I mentioned McDonalds, Sophie turned to look at me, eyes bright with anticipation.

"Are there McDonalds here in Florida, too?" Renee and I began to laugh.

"Yes, Sophie, _they're_ everywhere." She returned to peeling her orange, I'm sure thinking of eating a Happy Meal for lunch. I knew Renee had purchased the other breakfast foods with me in mind. I felt a little bad if it went to waste. "Sophie, would you like to try something that I loved to eat for breakfast sometimes?" I had opened up the Pop-Tarts, and slipped one into the toaster. Sophie watched curiously.

"You didn't have to do that." Renee said to me, quietly.

"Oh come on, I practically lived off of those things, and I turned out okay." Renee smiled while her eyes glanced quickly up and down my "new" body. "Okay, so, I've had a little help." Her smile was real, but I could see that she was still trying to absorb the news I broke to her last night.

Phil and Edward entered the kitchen. Phil smelled the pop tart in the toaster and smiled at me. "Your mom insisted that we have some on hand for you." He leaned over and kissed Renee on the temple, then grabbed his bag. "Well, I'm off, but I'll see you guys later." He paused, then added, "uh, oh right, we've decided to order in and stay home tonight. That's good. It will be nice to just relax and talk. Have fun today!"

Sophie looked curiously at the flat, rectangular pastry in front of her. She rubbed her finger over the pink, speckled waxy frosting. Then she lifted it up and broke it into two pieces. She stuck her finger into the strawberry filling, then licked her finger. Her eyes widened as a huge smile formed on her face. She took a bite, smacking her lips as she enjoyed this new taste.

"Uh oh, I've done it again. What will Beatrice say when she sees what I'm feeding Sophie?" Edward rubbed my back comfortingly.

"Beatrice is..." Renee started to ask.

"Sophie's aunt. However, she is occupied with... the re-organization. She would keep Sophie if her position didn't require so much travel and well, possible danger." I watched as Renee's brows raised, wondering what kind of danger she would be in.

Renee put another pop-tart in the toaster when she saw Sophie had finished the first and looked eager for another. I looked at Sophie, worried about how I was ruining her healthy diet. Renee saw me.

"Like you said, look how you turned out," Renee said, her brows raised, teasing me. We all broke into laughter. Sophie was too busy watching the toaster to pay attention to why we were laughing.

When Sophie was done, we all changed into our swim wear. Edward and I put on some lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and pants over the top... just in case. Sophie insisted on wearing only her swimsuit. She was very anxious to get going. When we finally went outside, Sophie was thrilled to find that the sand really did come all the way up to the house. Edward took her hand and they ran off down the beach, towards the ocean. Renee was watching them rather closely.

"You know, if I didn't know anything about you three, I could easily assume that she was yours. Look at them, their hair, their eyes. It's amazing." I watched her face as she spoke. I still couldn't believe how easy it was to tell her the truth, and how she accepted it. The relief I felt was so thick, I was saturated with a peaceful feeling.

"Mom, my only regret, and I don't like to call it that, but, I'm sorry I'll never be able to give you, you know, a real grandchild." I looked down at the ground, not wanting to see her reaction. I was surprised to hear her chuckle.

"Oh Bella, don't worry about that. My only worry was when I thought you two were too young to be getting married, and possibly making the mistake of starting a family too young. I'm sorry you won't have that chance, now. But in a way, you have a family, I mean with Sophie. I know she's not yours alone to raise, you're lucky, you've got a lot of help. But I see how much she loves you, and Edward. You _will_ get to experience being a mother after all, and I'm glad for you."

Renee was carrying a large nylon beach bag. When we reached Edward and Sophie, they were busy trying to build a sand castle with their hands. Renee laughed as she dumped the contents of her bag out onto the sand. She had sand pails, cups, shovels, scoops, Jell-o molds, utensils, and other odds and ends. Sophie came over and gave Renee a quick hug before she rifled through the things, looking for the tools she wanted.

The four of us worked together, for the next couple of hours, building the most elaborate, intricate sand castle I have ever seen. Sophie declared herself the queen of the castle and we were her humble servants. We pretended to cook meals, make beds, and pick flowers for our queen. She gave us our orders and we followed willingly. Finally, as a reward for our dutiful service, she ordered us to go for a swim. We gladly obliged her.

"Go ahead, I'll keep an eye on her for a while." Renee urged us to go swimming, by ourselves.

"Thanks mom. We'll be back soon." Edward and I grinned at each other as we ran towards the oncoming waves. We dove into the water, coming up briefly to wave goodbye, then we disappeared from their view as we explored this new ocean, together.

When we came back, Renee watched with wonder as we walked towards them. She was trying to imagine what it would be like to swim as we did, the way I described to her last night. Renee had a vivid imagination, and I was starting to think that that was part of the reason she was able to accept my story. A lot of things about us intrigued and fascinated her. I think she was thrilled about my new abilities.

The rest of the day flew by. We took a little scenic drive, which conveniently went past a McDonalds, for Sophie's pleasure. Renee ordered Chinese for dinner. Edward kept Phil happy in conversation, allowing Renee and I to talk. Sophie drifted off to sleep pretty early, exhausted but happy.

When Phil and Renee went to bed, Edward and I went for a walk on the beach. The moon was bright in the now cloudless sky. We planned on being on the road before sunrise, because it was going to be a sunny day.

"If you want to leave a little later, I would understand." Edward was smiling, thinking about how Renee was so curious about how we look in the sunshine.

"No, but thanks. I think she has enough to keep her mind occupied until we see her again. I have a feeling she'll be coming to visit us soon."

"That will be a fun visit. I think she's going to get along really well with Alice, now that she understands us better," Edward said grinning. I couldn't help but smile, too, thinking about how much more fun we could have now.

"Do you think you'll ever be able to tell Charlie?" Edward asked. I had to think about it for a little while.

"No, I don't think so. He's not as... open minded as Renee is. I think he's happy with the way things are. I don't want to take a chance of changing that. Even if it means... deceiving him." I didn't want to lie to him, but things were going so well as it was. Edward stopped walking and pulled me into his arms.

"I had no idea it could be like this. I have... hope. More hope than I have ever dared to have. _You _are the reason for this." He stared deep into my eyes, filling my mind with hope intertwined with his immeasurable love. He leaned in and kissed me until I could no longer stand. He carried me back to our room, and never stopped kissing me.

We were up early, eager to get on the road. We wrapped Sophie in her blanket and carried her out to the car. Renee came outside with us. "Are you sure you don't want to stay until after breakfast?" she taunted, her ulterior motives gleaming in her eyes. I rolled my eyes at her.

"You'll just have to come see us."

"May I come and visit you soon? There are so many more things I'd like to know about... you." Renee put her hand on my arm when she asked. Her touch, and the way she looked at me, let me know that she had really accepted me, and who I was now.

"Mom, you are always welcome." We hugged each other, grateful that there were no more secrets between us.

As we drove, I began to feel the excitement of returning to Dartmouth, where I once thought our _normal_ lives would begin. So much had changed in just a few months. It felt like ages to me. I hoped we could live as normally as possible. I was starting to believe that we could. I turned to look at Sophie, still fast asleep. I stroked her hair, enjoying the maternal feelings she stirred inside of me. Then I looked over at Edward. My Edward. I had everything I wanted and needed. I closed my eyes and thanked God.


End file.
